2017 Consolidated Youth Spring Institute

Consolidated Youth program logo
Chicago, IL
May 9-11, 2017

On behalf of the Office on Violence Against Women, ALSO, Break the Cycle, and Men Can Stop Rape, we look forward to your participation at the 2017 Consolidated Youth Spring Institute, Building a Framework for Success, OVW approved, held May 9-11, 2017 in Chicago, Illinois.

Please read event, hotel, and travel information in the table below in its entirety. Please book your travel and lodging accommodations immediately and no later than Friday, April 14th. Lodging must be booked by this deadline to secure the federal room rate at the Drake Hotel. Book Your Hotel Room at The Drake Hotel, 140 East Walton Place, Chicago, Illinois 60611, Phone: 800.553.7253. If calling the hotel to book your room, please mention ALSO to ensure you are being added to the correct room block and charged the appropriate cost.

For more meeting information, please contact Consolidated Youth.

  • Institute Details and Overview
  • Agenda Topics
  • Materials
  • Young Participants
  • Hotel Information
  • Payment
  • Air and Ground Transportation
  • Parking
  • Amenities
  • Food and Beverage
  • Travel Per Diem
The full 2-day Institute begins Tuesday, May 9th at 8:00am and concludes Wednesday, May 10th at 4:00pm. Those attending the Exploring Safety Learning Collaborative or the Healthy Masculinity Training Institute should plan to depart after 4:00pm on Thursday, May 11th.

This Institute will promote a strong foundation for the success of your Consolidated Youth Grant. With plenaries that reflect core competencies of grant management, community partnerships, capacity-building and sustainability; and, two tracks focused on implementation and demonstrating your success, respectively, we will build capacity to maximize impact in your communities. Similar to past institutes, we will continue to prioritize youth and grantee voices, while focusing on applied learning and opportunities to network and build community among grantees.

Trauma-informed care and childhood adverse experiences (ACEs)

Evidence-based practices for children exposed to violence, youth, and engaging men and boys

Storytelling and evaluation outcomes as sustainability tools

Maintaining buy-in from community leaders

Individual and organizational self-care and wellness

Evolution of the gender-based violence movement

Sustaining your work through collaboration and partnership

Sustaining your projects long-term

Intersectionality

Operationalizing your mission

Peer problem-solving

Continuum of prevention, intervention, and response

Youth breakout sessions

Materials are now available for download, as the plenary room and breakout session rooms will not have access to the internet. We encourage attendees to bring laptops and tablets to the Spring Institute with materials already downloaded onto their devices.

Materials will also be available on the hotel's Cumulus app, as well as accessible through USB flash drives at registration.  The event ID for Cumulus is 1062-7277.

For those of you who requested material accommodations, please check in at registration on Day 1. 

The Institute includes an opportunity during one of our plenary sessions for all participants to discuss and refine agency approaches to disclosure of abuse. Please bring your agency referral and confidentiality policies/practices (either formal or informal) related to disclosure of past or present abuse.

If you have any issues accessing materials, please contact Consolidated Youth.

If you have registered a young person, and have received approval for them to attend, please ensure that permission forms are signed prior to the Institute. The hosting organizations for this Institute do not assume any responsibility for staff or young people attending the Institute. If your agency needs assistance obtaining permission to bring a young person, please contact Consolidated Youth.

For minors, you must also obtain and share with the TA Team a signed release form that meets the legal guidelines required by your state and organization, regarding permission from a guardian both to attend and to have their likeness captured on film and/or camera. The TA Team should be sent a signed release form by Wednesday, May 3rd. The TA Team can provide you with examples of forms, if needed. Grantees should rely on their legal advisor to ensure alignment with state guidelines.

Hotel reservations must be made by April 14 at The Drake Hotel, 140 East Walton Place, Chicago, Illinois 60611, Phone: 800.553.7253Fax: 312.787.1431. If calling the hotel to book your room, please mention ALSO to ensure you are being added to the correct room block and charged the appropriate cost.

Book Your Hotel Room

Cancellations: The Drake Hotel will accept cancellations 72 hours in advance of your arrival date. It is the responsibility of each participant to contact the hotel directly regarding cancellation. You must also notify the TA Team of any unanticipated cancellations.

Check-in/Check-out: Check-in time is at 3:00pm and check-out time is at 12:00pm. ­­­­If you are interested in a later check-out time, please speak with the hotel. If the hotel is unable to accommodate an early check-in or late check out time, baggage storage is available.

Participants will be covering their cost for attendance at the 2017 Consolidated Youth Spring Institute. Hotel rooms will be offered at the government rate ($222). All attendees are responsible for making their own hotel reservations via the link above or by phone. If calling the hotel to book your room, please mention ALSO to ensure you are being added to the correct room block and charged the appropriate cost. The deadline to book hotel rooms is Friday, April 14th so please make reservations as soon as possible. It is important that you do not miss this deadline, as you will not be guaranteed the government rate ($222) after this date and rooms at the Drake may not be available.

Please know that if you have not been approved to attend the Exploring Safety Learning Community session or Healthy Masculinity Training Institute on Day 3 (5/11) of the Institute, you should plan to depart after Day 2 programming. 

Please note that the hotel requires payment upon check-in. If payment is to be made on the credit card the room was held under, that credit card must be presented upon check-in, and the attendee must have authority to sign on that card. If you are using your agency’s credit card to book your hotel room, please be sure to complete and fax the Credit Card Authorization Form to The Drake Hotel before your arrival date. We recommend following up with the hotel to confirm they received your completed form. It is also a good idea to bring a copy of the faxed form with you when you check-in to the hotel. The completion of this form will allow the room to be charged without the card being present. However, the hotel will need a debit/credit card presented to hold for any incidental costs incurred during your stay.

The 21-day advance for airline tickets is Sunday, April 16th. Please make travel arrangements as soon as possible. Attendees can choose to fly into O’Hare (ORD) or Midway (MDW) Airports for this Institute.

O’Hare Airport (ORD) is 18 miles from The Drake Hotel and ground transportation can take anywhere from 30-60 minutes depending on time of day and traffic.

Estimated taxi costs to/from O’Hare Airport (ORD) are between $45-$70/person (one way) depending on traffic.

Estimated shuttle service costs to/from O’Hare Airport (ORD) are $33/person (one way).

Attendees are also welcome to use Lyft and Uber apps. Rideshare pick-up location is on the departure level.

The Drake Hotel is also accessible by public transportation (Chicago Transit Authority). You will need to purchase a Ventra fare card which costs $5/person + $2.25 train fare for a one way trip on the train from O’Hare Airport plus $0.25/person for a one way bus trip. The returning trip to O’Hare Airport will cost $2.25 bus fare and a $0.25 train fare. 

Directions to The Drake Hotel from O’Hare Airport (60 minutes): Take the Blue Line towards Forest Park, get off at the Washington stop, head north on North State Street toward East Randolph Street, take #146 bus towards Wilson/Marine, get off eight stops later at Michigan and Delaware, walk North towards North Michigan Ave, turn right onto East Walton Place, and The Drake Hotel will be on your left at 140 East Walton Place.

Midway Airport (MDW) is 13.5 miles from The Drake Hotel and ground transportation can take anywhere from 20-60 minutes depending on time of day and traffic.

Estimated taxi costs to/from Midway Airport (MDW) are between $40 - $65/person (one way) depending on traffic.

Estimated shuttle service costs to from/Midway Airport (MDW) are $28/person (one way).

Attendees are also welcome to use Lyft and Uber apps. Rideshare pick-up location is on the departure level.

The Drake Hotel is also accessible by public transportation (Chicago Transit Authority). You will need to purchase a Ventra fare card which costs $5/person + $2.25 train fare for a one way trip on the train from Midway Airport.

Directions to The Drake Hotel from Midway Airport (45 minutes): Take the Midway Orange Line train towards the Loop, get off at Roosevelt and transfer to the Red Line towards Howard (this transfer will not cost you additional fare), get off at the Chicago stop, walk east on West Chicago Ave toward North State Street, turn left onto North Michigan Ave, turn right onto East Walton Place, and The Drake Hotel will be on your left at 140 East Walton Place.

Valet parking is $69/day and self-park is $49/day, which includes in and out privileges. There are also other public parking options available in the area, if needed. Please feel free to download the parking app, Spothero, on your smartphone or visit their website.
Hotel services and amenities are listed on The Drake Hotel’s website. Attendees will receive complimentary wireless high-speed internet in guestrooms only.

Due to OVW rules, there will be no food or beverage served during the conference. There are various restaurants nearby for your convenience. Water cooler dispensers are available in all meeting rooms. Time will also be built into breaks so that you may obtain snacks and drinks, if needed.

For those who requested prepared boxed lunches, please visit the hotel's downstairs cafe, Lavazza, during lunch breaks.  A list of requested food options will be available at registration. 

The federal per diem rate is $74. Travel days will be at 75% of the per diem ($55.50).

This project is supported by 2015-TA-AX-K013 awarded by the Office on Violence Against Women, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed on this page are those of ALSO and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women.
Main Menu >