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Sample Proposal: ( Click here for printable version ) December 18, 1997 Sue M. Frueauff Dear Ms. Frueauff: Helping all early adolescents to flourish is the overarching goal of Interfaith Neighbors. Making certain that our most vulnerable youngsters flourish constitutes our daily challenge and our distinctive competence. We are pleased to provide you with information about the Children's Bereavement Project, Interfaith Neighbors' school-based counseling and intervention project for youngsters who have lost a loved one. Interfaith seeks a grant of $30,000 to provide direct services to 120 vulnerable fifth through ninth graders in East Harlem and Yorkville. For too many of our young people, grief over the death of a parent or other family member lies at the core of a range of concerns, from poor academic performance to behavior problems and depression. Young people who have experienced a profound loss are often depressed and angry, distracted in school and alienated from their peer group because they feel do different. Interfaith's group bereavement services help children to explore and cope with their losses. The Bereavement Project is central to Interfaith's youth development mission. By addressing grief over family losses, we help young people to thrive in their school and social settings. Interfaith's Board of Directors provided seed money to launch this project two years ago. A multi-year grant from the Soros Foundation's Project on Death in America is providing partial support for operations and research. We seek additional funding to double the number of young people served from 60 to 120 and to replicate our bereavement counseling model in three new schools. We invite you to be our partners in this essential work. Sincerely, Eileen Lyons ------------------------------------------- The Children's Bereavement Project Proposal Submitted to the Charles A. Frueauff Foundation, Inc. Summary Far too many of our young people have lost parents and family members to violence and AIDS, as well as other illness. Coping with death has become an issue of such magnitude for the youth we serve that we cannot continue our other important work-helping early adolescents become active learners, equipping them for the transition of high school and, eventually, adulthood-without addressing their enormous grief. Interfaith Neighbors requests $30,000 in support of the Children's Bereavement Project (CBP). This group counseling and intervention project is designed to help 120 fifth through ninth graders cope with the death of a parent or other close family member. The project operates in eight public schools, seven in East Harlem one in Yorkville. Our counseling and support services decrease the likelihood that unresolved trauma and depression will shadow a child's future. Interfaith's Board of Directors provided seed money to launch this project two years ago. A multi-year grant from the Soros Foundation's Project on Death in America allowed us to develop the project and will continue to provide partial support for operations this year.We seek additional funding to expand the project: to double the number of young people served from 60 to 120 and to replicate our bereavement counseling model in three new schools. We will add two staff members to our highly skilled team. A grant for the Children's Bereavement Project will not only support direct services to youth but will provide training for one hundred other professionals-teachers and youth practitioners-who need bereavement counseling skills in order to serve their students and young clients effectively. December 18, 1997 Contact: ------------------------------ The Children's Bereavement Project Attachments 1. FY 1998 Program Budget 2. FY 1998 Agency Budget 3. Major Supporters for 1996-1997 4. Most Recent Financial Audit 5. Certification of 501(c)(3) Status 6. Board of Directors 7. Agency History and Mission 8. Resumes of Key Staff Members and Consultants 9. Children's Bereavement Project Curriculum 10. Bereavement Group Participant Questionnaires 11. Bereavement Focus Group: Themes and Observations 12. Children's Bereavement Project Flyer 13. In Lieu of Flowers Brochure ------------------------------------------------------------ Why focus on bereavement when our clients are so young? Alarming numbers of children are struggling to cope with the serious illness or death of a family member. Nationally, four percent, or over 1.2 million children, will lose a parent by the age of fifteen. Many more will lose siblings and other close relatives and caretakers. AIDS, street violence and drug use contribute to a shockingly high death toll in neighborhoods such as East Harlem. The rate of adolescent and adult AIDS in East Harlem is 209.6 per 100,000, nearly three times higher than the rate of 73.3/100,000 for New York City overall. In 1993, Interfaith discovered the breadth of the problem among the clients we serve when we added the following questions to our intake interview: "Has a member of your family, or someone close to you died recently?" Sadly, more than 50% of our youngsters answered yes. This finding was a wake-up call for Interfaith staff. We further investigated the problem by talking to teachers and guidance counselors. The enormity of this issue became clear. Early and violent death is pervasive in the families of our children. The death of a parent during one's childhood is a tragedy that may take its toll for decades to come. Children's profound grief over the loss of a loved one affects their daily lives, their academic and social functioning, their roles in the family and their growth toward adulthood. Young people who have experienced a profound loss are often depressed and angry, distracted in school and feel alienated from their peer group because they feel so different. They frequently display poor academic skills and behavior problems. Many are socially marginalized-a secondary problem of childhood/early adolescent grief-and a risk factor that is closely linked to dropping out of school. Research suggests that the death of a parent may be the most traumatic single event to affect the well-being and health of the developing child. Further, research indicates "...that depression, schizophrenia, drug problems and alcohol use (in adulthood) may be linked to childhood bereavement" (Weller, Elizabeth B., Weller, Ronald R. "Grief," in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry). Adolescence and exposure to violence and mortality increase the risks facing bereaved youngsters. Adolescence is an especially vulnerable age. It is a time of important physical, cognitive and psychosocial transitions. The nature of normal adolescent behavior includes struggling to separate from one's parents. When a teen's last words to a parent were angry or rebellious ones, the child's guilt and self-recrimination can be unbearable. A variety of other reactions complicate children's grief, such as their "magical" belief that they somehow caused the death of their parent. Other youngsters, anticipating the grief of their surviving parent, do not deal with their own loss in the home. In their article "Chronic Community Violence: What Is Happening to Our Children," Osofsky et al reported "strong evidence...indicating that stress reaction in children is related to violence exposure" (p.43). They also found that children's early and frequent exposure to death-especially when the deceased is/are personally known-may cause "greater confusion and negative outcomes" (p.38). The experience of violence is common for our youngsters. In January 1995, Interfaith conducted a survey on violence and risk factors that predispose young people to juvenile delinquency. Among youth surveyed in Community Board #8, seventy-six percent affirmed that they had witnessed violence in the street or in their neighborhood, and 39% had witnessed gun play in the street. Fully 37% indicated that they have considered buying a gun for self-protection.Youngsters' normal and expected fears for the safety of their surviving parent/caregiver and siblings are exacerbated by the realities of living in crime-ridden neighborhoods with high mortality rates. Many children face real problems of poverty and experience related anxiety following the death of the caregiver. A guidance counselor at an East Harlem public school noted that "there is an incredible amount of loss for these kids." The counselor observed that these young people are unable "to pinpoint what they're feeling, whether it's anger, hostility, insecurity. They can't identify it and recognize it for what it is...if they don't get in touch with feelings, a lot of things happen-they're aggressive to peers, academics suffer, they're irresponsible. When they get in touch, there's a lot of release. They can go on with their lives." The Children's Bereavement Project: Interventions Recognition of the depression and distinctive emotional complications associated with bereavement in early adolescence, and the high death rate in the community we serve, have shaped the vision and design of this project. It consists of three modes of intervention. 1. Outreach, recruitment, and assessment. Our outreach targets bereaved children who need support. Through letters and presentations, we educate an even larger pool of students, families, teachers and youth workers about bereavement. Last year, Interfaith disseminated program information and materials to 2,500 students, 700 parents, 220 teachers and 280 other school personnel at 21 schools in East Harlem and Yorkville. We also mailed material to more than six hundred community-based organizations, settlement house and beacon schools citywide. Interfaith's staff social workers carefully interview interested children to assess their appropriateness for a group. Consideration is given to factors such as the child's willingness or capacity to participate in the group, and bereavement pathology such as suicidal intent. Parents are always contacted for permission to register the child, and their needs and concerns are addressed in person and by mail. Last year, 61 young people in eight schools completed the Children's Bereavement Project. Most had lost a parent or guardian to either violence or illness. Two-thirds had experienced multiple losses. Two-thirds were Latino/a, one-quarter were African-American, and seven percent were Caucasian. Almost equal numbers of males and females participated. 2. Group Bereavement Counseling. Interfaith conducts small, school-based groups which meet once weekly for twelve weeks, each semester. Our groups run in elementary and junior high schools in East Harlem and in one junior high school in Yorkville. These schools are located in school boards #2 and #4, where participants show great need (from 120th Street to 76th Street, east of Fifth Avenue). The counseling group provides a therapeutic milieu that enables the child to go through the healthy and necessary stages of mourning-thereby minimizing the negative impact of the death on the child's personal, social, and academic functioning. Based on social group work theory, and on the concept of mutual aid, a variety of activities and strategies are used to help children express their grief. For example, children write a memorial poem about the deceased and share it with the group. In another activity, youngsters write a goodbye letter to the deceased, which offers them an opportunity to express unresolved feelings that were not shared before the loved one passed away. The young people put these letters into helium balloons and release them, literally and figuratively "letting go." Helping youngsters realize that their reactions and feelings of grief are normal is a central focus of our efforts. Many group members share experiences of being visited by their loved ones, and they talk about the different ways that they grieve-beliefs and traditions that are usually driven by their religious and cultural background. Children are encouraged to share these experiences with each other and to recognize the commonalities in their emotions. Conducting the groups in schools during the day is key to the project. Interfaith staff members work closely with school personnel to identify our target population, to follow-up on individual cases and to address youngster's academic needs and classroom behavior. 3. Referrals and Follow-up. Through their work with school personnel and as a result of thorough interviews with group candidates, Interfaith staff identify at-risk children who may exhibit suicidal thinking, fixation on death, clinical depression and violent or anti-social behavior. These youngsters are promptly referred for psychiatric or emergency intervention. Interfaith staff members also provide referrals for medical and other services as needed. All participants in the project receive careful post-group monitoring and follow-up for a one-year period. Many group participants are experiencing difficulty or failing in school, and they frequently are not engaged in any structured educational or recreational activities after school. Youngsters who require academic remediation, an opportunity to build social skills or guidance on family issues are referred to other Interfaith services and/or other appropriate community providers. To ensure that young people are familiar with all of our services, the bereavement group comes to Interfaith once during the 12-week session and completes a project at our site on 82nd Street. We make scholarships available as needed to support travel costs for youngsters traveling to Interfaith from East Harlem. To keep youngsters in touch with us after the bereavement session ends, the Children's Bereavement Project will also be starting a newsletter. We will continue to nourish the sense of belonging and acceptance which youngsters develop in the counseling groups. The Children's Bereavement Project: Impact on Youth These interventions produce a range of positive outcomes for grieving youth. The group format provides a positive sense of identity and affiliation to the grieving adolescent who feels different and misunderstood. Groups provide mutual aid and a stepping stone for young teens to re-enter their peer groups and the mainstream. By helping each other, teens regain a sense of competence and hope. This has a broad impact on children's school performance and family life. Young teens are also concerned with being "normal." Discovering that their feelings are not uncommon prompts an important healing process. One child may express what another child has held as a "dark secret." This is a great source of relief and comfort to the child. Participation in a group eases the stigma that many children feel, especially when AIDS is a factor. Skilled staff observation and discussions with individual children confirm that bereavement group participation helps children to:
Although the data for our empirical research is not yet statistically sorted and analyzed, we have substantial evidence of the impact of the program-from school personnel and from the young people themselves. A school guidance counselor reports: "We do see a change. A lot of them when they enter are very sad, they have unresolved conflict within them. Then they begin to realize the impact of the loss within their lives, realize why they were having behavior problems, academic problems. They realize where the sadness was coming from and the guilt. They stop blaming themselves... One child, first he lost his grandparents, so he participated in the group. He was suicidal and experienced a lot of emotional turmoil. Then he lost his father and his mother, and he is now living with two grandparents who are ill. His is so strong and so powerful...Because of the group he was able to understand loss...He said "why is this happening to me? What do I have to learn from this?" as opposed to his initial reaction, "I'm going to kill myself."In focus groups conducted by Interfaith at the end of the 12-week session, youngsters stated overwhelmingly that the group was an important, positive and helpful experience. "It brought up good memories about my grandmother," said one participant. "It helped me a lot to succeed in life...not to feel depressed all the time and to keep going." For its participants, the group offered a journey of self-discovery and healing. When youngsters started the journey, they often felt alone and unable to talk about the facts or feelings surrounding their loss. They appeared to experience the most relief because of their new-found skills of self-expression. "The group helped me to say everything that I was feeling on the inside," said one group member. "It made us express our feelings and get everything out. It made us feel better. I felt like I'm not alone." Research on the Children's Bereavement Project: Developing a National Model The Children's Bereavement Project is mid-way through a two-year empirical study to research and evaluate the effectiveness of the group intervention on youths' grieving and coping mechanisms. Youths are assessed at three distinct times-before the bereavement group begins, after the 12-week group is completed, and six months later. During each of these assessments, Interfaith staff members administer a psychosocial interview and five psychological scales that measure depression, attitudes and anxiety about death, and perception of grieving among peers. The young people's teachers and parents/guardians are also asked to give their input regarding the effects of the loss on school and home issues. This research aims to identify the impact of group counseling sessions on a variety of concerns, including young people's social isolation, ability to express feelings, sense of entitlement to grieve, ability to connect with peers and perceptions of violence. The results of this research will be published, along with our curriculum, as we establish our project as a national model for adolescent bereavement services. Achievements of the Past Year... In addition to providing comprehensive services to 61 children, Interfaith made significant strides in developing the Children's Bereavement Project as a rigorous, replicable model. We created culturally sensitive questionnaires and scales and revised our curriculum and intake materials. Interfaith is now established as a care-giver with expertise in the area of bereavement. When a teacher passed away recently at one of our schools, the guidance counselor immediately contacted us to provide crisis intervention bereavement services to students and school personnel. We have begun to change the culture inside our schools so that grief and loss are opportunities for healing, rather than sources of shame. ...And Goals for This Year This year, Interfaith will double the number of youth served, from 61 to 120. We will be adding three new schools to our current roster of eight. These new sites were selected based on requests from school teachers and administrators who have identified a need for our services in these schools. Our strategic goals for this year are to complete our empirical research study and ensure a broad base of support for ongoing program operations. Interfaith will proceed with the following tasks:
Interfaith Neighbors is distinguished from other community-based agencies because of our focus on the whole child. Our model integrates literacy with social work methods and responds to the full range of adolescent developmental concerns. In 1954, women from local churches and synagogues founded Interfaith to help teenagers who could not or would not avail themselves of traditional services. Our mission is to help youngsters ages 10-15 stay in school; understand and confront the complex social realities they face; minimize their high risk behavior; and maximize their learning, social competence, and healthy development. Interfaith provides comprehensive direct services to 540 early adolescents and their families each year. Our distinctive competence is helping youngsters who have lost a loved one, faced chronic academic failure, or other serious problems. Education Plus is our transformative after-school project, which combines individual tutoring and group learning activities. Interfaith also operates the summer Challenge Camp for students about to enter the seventh grade. In addition, we have documented our curricula and trained more than 450 youth workers throughout NYC in our model of intervention. Though youth bereavement is not a common funding area and no public monies have yet been targeted to this issue, the Bereavement Project is an essential part of our youth development mission. We have found a direct connection between addressing family losses and helping children to thrive in their school and social settings. Freed from the isolation and stigma of grief, our young people can move forward with their adolescence. Back to Application Guidelines
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