CRAY Milwaukee

The second CRAY Conference is almost here! Registration is now open. This year we are excited to announce that this is a STATEWIDE opportunity for youth service providers, community/systems/grassroots advocates and those interested in learning tangible tools to better support young people who have experienced commercial sexual exploitation. This years theme is "Fostering Connections." You will have the opportunity to hear from a variety of experts with various roles. Did we mention, this is a completely FREE opportunity! See the link below for registration and information!
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf6sD8JK8eRY9agM2SpfLI67oCu994DXW7jYYCyMNcq_9K8iw/viewform?usp=sf_link

Another great moment for CRAY. We completed another CRAY On- Call Advocate onboarding in May! Our youth panel was a blast and lots of topics were discussed by the youth and advocates. Thank you to all participants for being part of the amazing learning experience.

Save the date for this year's CRAY Conference that will be occurring this fall. So much work and effort has gone into this from different collaborating agencies and CRAY Members.

Registration will be open in the future and I will share that link when it does open for those who may be interested in attending.

Let me know if you have any questions in the meantime!

WAHRS hosted an educational Advocacy Day with legislators and staff in Madison yesterday. Members from the CRAY, Pathfinders and Power Of Paths Youth Action board spoke on behalf of variety of issues. Including Safe Habor, healthcare access for unaccompanied minors, length of confidential shelter stays and service needs throughout the state. We were able to hear directly from youth with lived expertise. We hope to continue conversations to pass these impactful protections for young people across the state.

Meet Lindsey! Before her current role as CRAY Program Manager, she was the Lead Advocate for Pathfinders' New Paths program directly support youth navigating challenging legal and medical systems. Lindsey is devoted to creating a space for conversations and actions that can create sustainable, inclusive and equitable change. She is moving into her ninth year in Milwaukee and can be found with her wife and two kids building a bonfire, fishing or going on a bike ride.

Meet Kathryn! She is currently the CRAY Peer Advocate. In her role she supports with advocacy and YAB facilitation. Her passion is listening to youth and bringing all youth experiences and voices together. She is going to school for her Associates in Leadership Development. Kathryn enjoys spending time by the water and listening to waves.

CRAY’s Youth Advisory Board, composed of youth leaders in our community, wants to mobilize the amazing people of Milwaukee to volunteer as advocates!

Volunteer advocates provide urgent, after-hours advocacy and support for commercially sexually exploited young people, aged 11 to 25, during medical exams and law enforcement interviews.
Look out for future posts where we will be highlighting our volunteers, what they do and why advocacy work is so important for our young people!

Interested in becoming a volunteer or want to learn more? Fill out a volunteer interest form or volunteer application by 9/15 on our website: https://craymke.org/for-volunteers/

Youth have the right to have an advocate accompany them to make sure they don’t feel alone, know their rights and options, and have support in navigating complicated systems.

CRAY is looking for volunteers who want to be there for youth!
If you are interested in volunteering through Pathfinders as a CRAY Advocate, visit https://craymke.org/volunteer-interest-form/ to fill out a Volunteer Advocate Interest form!

GLOW Staff takes on CRAY Conference 2023!! Thank you for having us CRAY Milwaukee. Oh and we "reinstated" our Partnership.

Thank you to CRAY Milwaukee For hosting an impactful and resourceful conference today.
We've been apart of CRAY and the Mission of collaborative effects to help all youth in our community, and will continue to build together.

Special Thank you to Tycie Godsey for holding down our exhibit booth today, while being a 365 advocate for healthy relationships, mental health and thriving for our entire community.

CTRL+ C, LLC 🫶🏿

“Our advocates help young people create safety plans, navigate medical and legal systems that may criminalize them for their victimization, help those systems understand how to serve young people with dignity and respect, inform people about their rights, and try to provide comfort in those difficult situations when young people access services.” - Pathfinders' Anti-Sexual Violence Services staff member

Pathfinders is hiring for a variety of fulfilling roles within our organization, including leading our Collaborative Rapid Advocacy for Youth (CRAY Milwaukee) team. Find out more at pathfindersmke.org/employment-internships

Tomorrow is our 2023 CRAY Conference! We could not be more excited to bring our partners together to provide essential training, enhance collaboration, and foster relationship building opportunities.

Whether you are joining us or are excited to join in the coming years, we'd love for you to check our website to learn more about CRAY: craymilwaukee.org

CRAY is excited to hold a full-day conference on July 27th that will bring partners together to provide essential training, enhance collaboration, and foster relationship building opportunities.

Youth Voice Matters!!

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One of CRAY's Youth Advisory Board Member's messages of support for Sexual Assault Awareness Month & Denim Day 2023.

Claudine O’Leary has been helping guide and train CRAY Advocates since the start. We could not be more excited that her impact and influence is being recognized!! 🎉

With our annual fundraiser, Streets, just around the corner, we are delighted to announce the recipient of our 2023 Trailblazer Award – Claudine O’Leary. This award recognizes those who advance the well-being of our most vulnerable youth and families.

Claudine is a community educator, consultant and powerful advocate for youth voice. She has profoundly impacted Pathfinders and the broader community with her trauma-informed, holistic work in support of young people who have experienced sexual exploitation and related crises.

We hope you’ll join us on April 20 to celebrate Claudine’s impact and raise funds for the youth we collectively champion. Learn more about the event here: pathfindersmke.org/streets

Thank you TeamTeal365 for all the work you do to bring awareness, light, and healing to our community. Team CRAY could not be more honored to have joined for 10th Annual Paint The City Teal Day Celebration, especially to witness the powerful empowerment, amplification, and celebration of youth voice! Congratulations, Taylor!

"We all need someone in our corner who won't judge them- having somebody there really matters." -Teen Entrepreneur of the Year, Taylor

Your message, Taylor, encouraged us to continue to do just that--be there for youth!

We here at CRAY are excited for April 2nd, Paint the City Teal Day! Join TeamTeal365 this Sunday to show your support! 🎉