|
Covenant House AdvocacyThe abuse and mistreatment of children and young adults knows no borders. Every day, children and young adults needlessly suffer and die all over the globe. They almost always are the most innocent of victims.
The Covenant House mission includes speaking out for those children and young people cannot speak for themselves. Covenant House international advocacy efforts include keeping media aware of issues and topics related to youth homelessness; hosting the annual Covenant House International Candlelight Vigil for homeless youth; working with politicians and lawmakers at the local, state and national level to enact laws protecting young people; and sending Covenant House representatives to Congress, the White House, and the United Nations to raise awareness and seek assistance for suffering children.
Covenant House currently is the Co-Chair of the NGO Committee on UNICEF. The NGO Committee on UNICEF is the body that the United Nations established for non-governmental organizations to consult and collaborate with UNICEF. In Central America, where Covenant House is known as Casa Alianza, staff members have been at the forefront of advocacy efforts on behalf of children. The Casa Alianza advocacy team focuses its efforts on behalf of the estimated 40 million street children in Latin America. Topics addressed by Casa Alianza advocacy efforts include child labor, sexual violence, and illegal adoption issues. Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the diplomatic community, and the worldwide media recognize Covenant House as one of the world’s foremost advocates for Central American street children. Covenant House speaks out for the rights of all children. The Covenant House NINELINE (800-999-9999), a 24-hour hotline crisis hotline, received more than 48,000 calls this past year from youngsters, parents, and other individuals from all over the United States who turned to Covenant House NINELINE trained counselors for emergency intervention. In nearly all cases, callers are immediately connected to an appropriate local organization from a network of more than 30,000 health, social service, self-help, or law-enforcement agencies across the United States. Covenant House advocates for children at every opportunity. The President of Covenant House and senior staff members have made presentations, given testimony or provided information to Congress, the White House, State Legislatures, and City Halls. Local Covenant House leaders have done the same in city councils, neighborhood or ward meetings, and during special forums at Covenant House sites -- all with the goal of giving a voice to homeless and runaway youth. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
advocate
|
 |
|
Meet Tom Kennedy
Q.What do you see as the role of Advocacy at Covenant House? A.It's simple... someone needs to be a voice for homeless kids, who have no voice. We work to put the message out to Congress and internationally. Covenant House is the co-chair of the Non Government Organization (NGO) Committee on UNICEF. We are also putting more emphasis on going out to young people on behalf of young people. We don't want just elected officials to be part of the solution to homelessness. We need young people to learn, so that as they mature they can stand up for, and stand with, those who have less. Q.What brings young people to Covenant House? A.Our door is open and the kids know it. The word is on the street that homeless, suffering kids can come here and be safe. They can come in from their suffering and have their immediate needs met. The root causes of why kids need Covenant House vary: Lack of education and job skills, broken, abusive homes, drug and alcohol abuse, mental illness. But what they are share is the suffering they have been through. The fact that our door is open 24 hours a day makes us very unique, and I believe, very important. Our Mission Statement, which states that we treat all kids with absolute respect and unconditional love, sets a very high standard. It is my role is to make sure we strive every day to live up to that standard, for the good of the kids. Q.Can you describe your role as Senior Vice President of Programs? A.I think the best description of my role is that of a facilitator. We have 21 Covenant House sites around the world, each with a variety of programs to take care of homeless and runaway youth. My job is to make sure the kids are getting the best care possible. To do this, it is very important that each site share best practices with the others. We have a wealth of talent, knowledge and experience at Covenant House. By sharing our resources, and by working closely with other organizations, we can help a lot more kids. I also ask our people to think differently, look at options so that we can constantly improve. |
 |
