Be Strong Families’ first ever Family Fun Fest: Evanston is Family Strong! held on April 30, 2023 at the Robert Crown Community Center in Evanston, IL was a huge success with estimated more than 700 people attending, 33 community-based organizations participated in the resource fair …

Be Strong Families has charged itself with doing the work it takes to be an organization that promotes equity in everything we do and as part of who we are. We know that part of equity leadership is consciousness — the value of centering equity, the desire to lead equitably. Part of equity leadership is creating a culture of inclusion and minding how we relate to each other; part of equity leadership is hardwired into policy.

Be Strong Families is an organization focused on building trust. We do this by valuing shared experiences and committing to human-centered practices.

The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services has created Youth Advisory Affinity Groups (YAAG) for members and allies of the African American, Asian American, Latino, Native American, and LGBTQIA+ communities.

The month of October was exciting for the teens on the Statewide Youth Advisory Board (SYAB) as their hard work came to fruition when the Governor of the State of Illinois signed a Proclamation declaring that October 2022 is Foster Youth Voice Month. Join us as we celebrate these teens who not only fought for themselves to be heard, but the other 20,000+ youth in care.

Over 3500 people gathered together during the Institute for Educational Leadership Conference in early June for the National Community Schools and Family Engagement Conference (CSxFE). Educators and family supporters met from around the country and across the pond in Los Angeles to discuss the development and sustainability of community schools, supporting parents, and students alike. One of the breakout sessions was a featured panel on Parent Nation…

I have been really disturbed by recent events to the point of hopeless confusion verging on paralysis. I rarely go on social media and my news-following is seriously limited, but still, stuff creeps in. The consensus, no matter which side of political and ethical issues you’re on, seems to be that the forces of evil are winning. So what to do when the darkness seems to be consistently overwhelming the light? Remember Einstein saying: “No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it.” We need to transcend.

Illinois YAB was created by statute to give youth ages 14-21 in the care of IDCFS the opportunity to provide feedback on service delivery, programs, and policies that affect them, toward ensuring that all youth are optimally cared for and supported regardless of race, color, sex, national origin, ancestry, language, handicap/disability, or religion. Illinois YAB is committed to youth empowerment, development, leadership, and achievement.

What is safety? What is security? How do we take care of ourselves in order to take care of our families?