11:00-12:15
Welcome
Keynote Speaker - Roy Juarez
I want to inspire 100,000 youth to dream, not give up on life
Roy Juarez - 11:00-12:15 pm - At the age of 14 Roy was a homeless teenager caring for his 9 year old sister and 2 year old brother. After finding housing for his younger siblings, Roy packed a bag of personal items he called a home for two and a half years. He couch surfed from home to home with whoever would take him in. Today he is a college graduate from Hardin Simmons University and president and founder of America’s Business Leaders- a human development company. His spell-binding story was featured in Chicken Soup for the Soul: Extraordinary Teens.
He now takes his story on the road with his MyBag, MyHome Homeless by Choice Tour, which is a 300 City tour circling the United States of America with a goal to inspire 100,000 youth to dream, not give up on life, and understand the value of a higher education!
12:30-1:45
Lunch Speakers
Free Pizza Lunch provided for attendees
First Contact: Officers on the Streets
Moderator and Facilitator: Dr. Pete Fenton, Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice, Kennesaw State University
Presenters for this session include officers from Cobb County and Marietta. In 2004, Atlanta became the first Georgia city to launch a crisis intervention public safety program. How do officers, who are often the first responders in a situation, handle crises and identify the needs of the chronically homeless, including identifying those with mental health issues.
2:00-4:45
Closing Speaker - Diane Nilan
Homelessness is Here and Now . . . and it Happens to Everyday People
2:00-3:15 - Overview and Presentation of HearUS and Family Homelessness
3:15-3:30 - Coffee Break
3:30-4:45 - Continuation of Overview and Presentation of HearUS and Family Homelessness
Award winning filmmaker, author and homeless advocate, Ms. Diane Nilan continues her nationwide tour, EPIC Journey, promoting the needs of homeless children and their families. She is also the founder and director of HEAR US, a national advocacy group for homeless kids.
Five years ago Ms. Nilan ventured out of suburban Chicago on what she thought would be a six month cross country trip to gather film footage of our nation’s homeless youth in order to produce her now critically acclaimed documentary, My Own Four Walls. Five years later she is still traveling the 48 contiguous United States, testifying before Congress, and working to end homelessness among the nation’s most precious and vulnerable population, homeless kids. Her film is a tool used by schools and agencies across the U.S. to acquaint communities and educators with what life is like for so many who live below the poverty line and below the radar.