I Will Be Your Voice For Student Success

In this episode, we sit down with Zozan Küçükaydın, Anti-Human Trafficking Services Coordinator, to discuss the critical intersection of youth homelessness, housing instability, and human trafficking, and how schools can play a vital role in recognizing risk and supporting students. Learn about the development of the PA ECYEH program’s Youth Human Trafficking Toolkit for Educators , a trauma-infor...

In this episode of I Will Be Your Voice , host Matt Butensky speaks with Anthony Bruno, a senior at Lower Dauphin High School and founder of Project Textile , a student-led organization dedicated to supporting families and individuals experiencing homelessness. Joined by Lower Dauphin Principal Justin Hanula and School Social Worker Denise Haas, Anthony shares how a simple idea grew into a multi-s...

The I Will Be Your Voice podcast is back! After a break, our team reconnects to share fresh insights, critical updates, and resources designed to support children, youth, and families. We highlight new and updated tools including a Human Trafficking Toolkit for Educators, supports for unaccompanied homeless youth, and tools to help school teams implement Act 1 of 2022 across Pennsylvania. Join us...

This episode was produced under our previous focus on students experiencing homelessness. Pennsylvania’s ECYEH Program summer camp, “Build Your Best School Year,” is returning this July! Learn about this year’s summer camp hosted at Camp Fowler in Orefield, Pennsylvania. This year’s camp for McKinney Vento eligible middle-school aged students will take place July 28 to August 1. Hear from Mike Bra...

This episode was produced under our previous focus on students experiencing homelessness. Listen to the latest "I Will Be Your Voice" episode where we kick off 2025 and chat with the statewide Education for Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness (ECYEH) program team at the Center for Schools and Communities. We'll reflect on unforgettable highlights from 2024 and unveil exciti...

This episode was produced under our previous focus on students experiencing homelessness. In this special episode, we’re stepping away from our usual format to bring you powerful messages of homelessness and hope, in recognition of Pennsylvania’s annual Education for Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness (ECYEH) Student Homelessness Awareness Week. Observed each November—most recently from...

This episode was produced under our previous focus on students experiencing homelessness. As we approach 2024, ECYEH Awareness Week, November 11-15, join us for an eye-opening discussion on ECYEH Awareness Week with special guest Sonia Pitzi, a dedicated regional coordinator with Pennsylvania's Education for Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness (PA ECYEH) Program. Together, we explore...

This episode was produced under our previous focus on students experiencing homelessness. In partnership with Move Forward Counseling and eLuma, The Bridge Project in PA facilitates FREE access to mental health services for PA children and youth experiencing homelessness. Learn the benefits of teletherapy; how schools, students, and families access services; how the program is addressing technolog...

This episode was produced under our previous focus on students experiencing homelessness. Can a community rally together to keep families united during their toughest times? Join us for an in-depth conversation with Matt Wagner from Family Promise as we explore the often misunderstood realities of homelessness and how their community partnerships take a holistic approach to providing services. Dis...

This episode was produced under our previous focus on students experiencing homelessness. Walter Harris and Emma Grimm join us to shed light on their poignant journeys through homelessness. Through bouts with the juvenile justice system, foster care, and relentless searches for stable housing, their stories are powerful testimonies of how these experiences fueled their passion for youth homelessne...

This episode was produced under our previous focus on students experiencing homelessness. Maryama's story is one of resilience and determination in the face of adversity. Born and raised in Niger, she embarked on a journey to America with her family at the age of 15 to join her father. However, life took an unexpected turn when she found herself homeless at 18 years old, during her senior yea...

This episode was produced under our previous focus on students experiencing homelessness. Our morning chat with the Pennsylvania Department of Education State Coordinator for Homeless Education, Mr. Storm Camara, isn't just about the challenges of providing educational stability for children and youth experiencing homelessness; it's a celebration of successes and a glimpse into the futur...

This episode was produced under our previous focus on students experiencing homelessness. Since we are still early in 2024, “I Will Be Your Voice” shares a special bonus episode with the staff behind the scenes at the Center for Schools and Communities. In this bonus episode, we chat with our Center for Schools and Communities team who are working on statewide projects for the Education for Childr...

This episode was produced under our previous focus on students experiencing homelessness. Eden Village is a new, planned tiny home community in Harrisburg, PA, to provide the chronically homeless a permanent place to live and rebuild. Hear from husband and wife Jon and Raquel Bomberger, who serve on the board of Eden Village Harrisburg, how the vision for this community began among friends interes...

This episode was produced under our previous focus on students experiencing homelessness. Recorded at 2023 Paving the Way for Educational Success Conference, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Hear Rene Denfeld's inspiring journey as a teen experiencing homelessness, longtime foster and adoptive parent, author, speaker, justice worker, and keynote presenter at 2023 Paving the Way to Educational Success...

This episode was produced under our previous focus on students experiencing homelessness. What does it take to support and uplift homeless students in a school district? Would you be able to adapt your services to a global pandemic, and come up with innovative ways to offer food security and mental health support? This episode introduces two remarkable figures from the State College Area School Di...

This episode was produced under our previous focus on students experiencing homelessness. What happens when a café not only serves a warm cup of coffee but also a helping hand to young adults who have aged out of foster care? In this episode, we hear from Kamal Marell, executive director of The Monkey and The Elephant in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Monkey and The Elephant is a job and life ski...

This episode was produced under our previous focus on students experiencing homelessness. In this episode of “I Will Be Your Voice: Stories of Homelessness and Hope,” President of the Milton Hershey School and graduate, Pete Gurt shares about the mission and vision behind the Milton Hershey School and the impact and opportunities it provides for children, youth, and families' lives.  Please r...

This episode was produced under our previous focus on students experiencing homelessness. In this episode of “I Will Be Your Voice: Stories of Homelessness and Hope,” hear from Michele Albright, director of Lehigh Valley Emergency Services and Housing, and Reet Kaur, clinical coordinator at Valley Youth House. Valley Youth House provides an array of youth services including emergency shelter, tran...

This episode was produced under our previous focus on students experiencing homelessness. In this episode, one of PA’s ECYEH program regional coordinators, Sonia Pitzi, shares with us the origin of the "I Will Be Your Voice" campaign and the importance of elevating the voices and stories of students experiencing homelessness. Please read the transcript . Resources: ECYEH Lincoln Intermed...

This episode was produced under our previous focus on students experiencing homelessness. In this episode of “I Will Be Your Voice: Stories of Homelessness and Hope,” Executive Director for SchoolHouse Connection Barbara Duffield shares about their work across the United States to overcome homelessness through education. Please read the transcript .  Resources: SchoolHouse Connection SchoolHouse C...

This episode was produced under our previous focus on students experiencing homelessness. In this episode of “I Will Be Your Voice: Stories of Homelessness and Hope,” app Developer Prithvraj Lankar shares the importance of providing immediate access to services for homeless youth and families through the development of Pennsylvania’s newest resource: The Finding Your Way in PA app.  Please read th...

This episode was produced under our previous focus on students experiencing homelessness. Welcome to our new podcast, “I Will Be Your Voice: Stories of Homelessness and Hope.” Daily, we have conversations with practitioners and thought leaders in the field. We want to bring some of what we are learning - both successes and challenges - to help you better serve your community. The “I Will Be Your V...

This episode was produced under our previous focus on students experiencing homelessness. In the premiere episode of “I Will Be Your Voice: Stories of Homelessness and Hope,” President of the National Coalition for the Homeless Board, Dr. Rajni-Shankar Brown, shares the effects of homelessness on students and the importance of equity and healing-centered practices to address educational gaps. Plea...