Blog – Page 3 – One Voice Impact

October 13, 2021 By fosteryouthvoicemonth

Why is Youth Voice Important?

You may be wondering: Indeed, why is youth voice important? I would invite you to try a simple experiment. Find a youth. Ask them a question. Now listen. Make space and make time. Let them know that you are not expecting “the right answer” or for them to talk to you in a way that makes it easy for you to hear or conformed to your way of thinking. Don’t expect to fix, educate, mentor, or inspire anyone. Don’t plan to have a to-do list, assignment chart, or anything of the sort. Just listen. In the end, say thank you for the time they have given you.

Now, consider what you may have learned. You may have learned that your fear that you cannot fix everything is something that they already presupposed – but that they just wanted to be heard and that was something you did do. In that moment, it may have made all the difference. You will likely never know. You might learn that they are afraid that when asked to contribute they don’t know all the fancy words being used, what all the numbers mean, or that “chai square” isn’t some fancy new drink at the local coffee shop. You will laugh together at the bad joke and both be relieved that neither of you have the answer, nor do either of you expect the other to know everything. You might hear that they have hopes and dreams and desires for the world wholly unlike your own, but equally wonderful. You will share a bit of humanity and humility at the chance to see through another’s eyes. You will see and be seen. In short, you may become connected – even if for a brief moment. Not connected in a way that provides a step-by-step plan to “become authentically engaged” or in a way that looks down the meeting attendee list to see whether “youth voice is represented,” but in a human way that compels you to not just know, not just hear, but to actually feel how this voice and yours are intertwined as part of the human fabric of the world. You may have to try it a few times. Making it a habit will change your life. You must genuinely be curious. But once you do truly take the time to listen, you will never again ask “why is youth voice important,” because you will know. You will recognize their voice in your own. You will hear it in your rulings and arguments in court, your project proposals and quarterly reports. You will hear their words come from you as you talk to their peers and ask better questions as you begin to learn more. You will learn to listen for their voice in all the work you do and sense where it is absent because your own work will feel incomplete without it. In the end, you may even see your voice carried on in some little way in the work that they do long after your own voice goes silent and they begin listening to a generation anew.

Today’s blog post is guest authored by Tim Jaasko-Fisher, principal consultant of TJF Consulting, LLC and the Director for Internal Capacity Building at the Capacity Building Center for Courts.

October 12, 2021 By fosteryouthvoicemonth

Going Above and Beyond

When the system of care provides not just the basic needs—food, shelter, so on—but also the advanced needs—love, comfort, hope—of youth, then we are all better off.

When I was younger, I ended up in foster care. My father had passed away due to a service-related illness, and my mother, though she is the sweetest and kindest mom I could ask for, struggled with her mental health.

Foster care was horrible at times and wonderful at times. I got the support that I desperately needed, but there were also many moments of hardship. For example, it was difficult balancing the relationship between my caregiver and my mother, who I stayed in touch with.

At some placements, my caregivers became adversarial with my mother. Thankfully, my case worker was there to step in. At many points, she fought to make sure I could maintain contact with my mom, like I wanted. There were a lot of times we got supervised visits. I would go to McDonald’s with my mom and my case worker. Sometimes, we got approved for weekend stays.

Through it all, my caseworker listened to me, understood my needs, and fought to advocate for me in and out of court. Like any rebellious teenager, we butted heads often, but I am so thankful she was there.

All that to say, please understand that for many people in foster care, our family lives and our home lives are so complicated. It is so critical that caseworkers do more than just move through the motions.

Mine could have simply fulfilled statutory requirements and the day to day business functions. I could have simply been left to deal with those emotions and those conflicts by myself. But instead, my case worker stepped up and helped me navigate that. As a result, I am now 21 years old and I just helped prevent my wonderful mother from becoming homeless.

When the system of care provides not just the basic needs—food, shelter, so on— but also the advanced needs—love, comfort, hope—of youth, then we are all better off.

Other youth may have different needs. Some may want no contact, but the court might consider a parental request for contact; you should step in. Others might want contact with some but not all of their birth family, or something else entirely; please, step up for your kids.

Remember to make time to help your youth work through their feelings and to develop an action plan that meets not just placement goals, but also the child’s goals. Also, when possible, getting a child in therapy can help them understand their trauma and their goals better.

Hunter Lyons, a foster youth leader and student activist, grew up in foster care and now both attends & works at the University of West Florida. He has a great deal of experience as a student organizer, having spent years working on advocacy efforts to help Florida students. Recently, Hunter started grad school and a job at his university, where he is a financial aid specialist tasked with getting federal emergency grant money to students in need.

October 10, 2021 By fosteryouthvoicemonth

Forever Family

My whole life I yearned for a family. In fact I thought that not having a family or belonging to a certain group meant that I was worthless and would never be “loved.” I have been through a total of ten foster placements and none of them had given me the feeling of being a part of their family. I expected so much from people I didn’t know very well while I wasn’t holding myself to the same standards.

Through lots of therapy I learned that what I was looking for in those people wasn’t just a family scenery with a white picket fence or holiday photos. I was looking for love, self love. I soon found my self love and my forever family within the foster system. Through my journey of going from foster home to foster home I unknowingly touched the hearts of so many youth.

Through telling my story and going through my own healing process, I had inspired girls from all different backgrounds. I had given them a voice through friendship, a hand through mentorship and a forever family. I had been able to give something that I couldn’t have for myself. I poured myself into these girls and I am forever grateful for who they have made me. I have become someone they can come to for advice or to just be of company.

I have learned through these girls that family is who you relate to, people who bring out the good in you.

By Princess Mitchell

October 8, 2021 By fosteryouthvoicemonth

The Fun Side of Youth-Adult Partnerships

Hey y’all! This is Diamond Whitley, the Youth Engagement Specialist from One Voice IMPAACT (follow us on Facebook and Instagram, please). Firstly, let me ask you what you think a Youth-Adult Partnership is? Is it a student and a teacher? Is it a parent and a child? Is it a coach and a player? What if I told you, it was all three and much more!

Youth-Adult Partnerships are relationships between youth and adults where there is mutuality in teaching, learning, and action. Recently, I was invited to the Florida Coalition for Children’s Leadership Summit. I was learning from systems leaders as much as they were learning from me during presentations. Our community café was full of engaging perspectives on both sides. That’s not where it ends. After the long day of hard work, we all sat at a table in the hotel and got to know each other on a deeper level. I no longer felt like a 19-almost-20-year-old who was along for the ride. I felt like I was a peer in which they had mutual respect for.

We had just spent the day building a work relationship, and the night building a friendship. I can’t stress how important this is for collaboration. I now know that I can be fully transparent with the CEOs of these agencies because I know them as people. They will feel secure coming to me about issues in their service areas because they know my capabilities and my intentions. Never underestimate the power of Youth-Adult Partnerships! Remember to sign the Youth Voice Pledge today!

Diamond Whitley is the Youth Engagement Specialist for One Voice IMPAACT. When she’s not working, she’s a full-time student at UCF. Diamond is majoring in psychology to enter a career in therapy.

October 8, 2021 By fosteryouthvoicemonth

One Voice IMPAACT

I feel as if I am making a difference in my life since I got involved with One Voice IMPAACT (OVI). I have met some AMAZING women that have influenced me to take control of my community. OVI not only helps young adults and youth formerly in foster care but also gives back to the community.

OVI’s approach makes youth with lived experience in foster care become comfortable enough to feel safe. I am honored to be a part of OVI, because I really want to make a difference and so many women have inspired me to help the system and fix the flaws.

A lot of young adults don’t know about the resources available to them in their community, so they tend to struggle. I want to be able to break that cycle. I want all of us to succeed in life. Even though our childhood or teenage years were not so great, we can still become somebody.

I will advocate for youth and young adults to make sure they are comfortable and not only that but successful. I am successful today because of the women that I’ve had in my life that I have met through the system. Other young adults who age out of the system can become successful with support of caring case workers and organizations like OVI.

OVI has not only taught me about the importance of knowing about the policies that drive the system but also about the strength of youth voices. I can’t wait to start my journey as a child welfare worker because I am ready to make a difference. I am honored to become a part of OVI. I love the meetings we have and sessions to help us understand how we can change the way child welfare employees view our older youth and young adults. All we need is a voice, to be heard, and to be able to have that guidance to be successful. As a community, we got this!! Join the youth voice movement, and sign the pledge today!

Selfless Love Foundation’s youth voice initiative entitled One Voice IMPAACT provides current and former foster youth opportunities to develop skills for leadership and life, advocate for changes to policy and join a network of youth leaders across the state of Florida.

My name is Bianca Feliciano. I am a 22-year-old college student studying Social Services at St. Petersburg College. I have a license in Cosmetology that I accomplished this year and two years of dental hygiene at State College of Florida. I love spending time with my family and A LOT of Netflix. I love ALL sorts of animals, and I paint from time to time. I started being involved with OVI this year and absolutely enjoy it. I love the training we do to help youth better understand how to make change in our community. In my future, I hope to work with children and youth in the system. I want to be able to make a difference in every family I encounter. I am very excited for my future!

October 8, 2021 By fosteryouthvoicemonth

Youth Engagement – Authentic Relationships

How can we better engage youth? The question comes up a lot in the child welfare system as professionals search for the elusive silver bullet to support, stabilize, and motivate youth in care…

October 7, 2021 By fosteryouthvoicemonth

What is Youth Voice?

Experiences are what make us or break us. My childhood experiences and the time I spent in the Florida foster care system inspired me to become the resilient leader many people know me as today. Without these experiences, who knows how different my life would have turned out, or the values I would hold. One thing that has stuck with me is what it truly means to share your voice through these critical learning opportunities, and you may ask, what is “youth voice?” How does youth voice truly impact child welfare system?

Youth voice is exercising your right to be heard and be part of important decisions that impact your life. Youth voice can include such things as advocating for yourself and others. I exercise my voice by serving on a local leadership board and collaborating with individuals who have the same passion for creating changes in the foster care system. I am one of the youth leaders who serve on the Brevard Youth Leadership Council, supported by Brevard Family Partnership and SMILE for Budgie. Our vision is that all youth and young adults in the care system will have opportunities to grow and thrive. We focus on increasing quality foster homes, increasing youth engagement, improving mentors and life skills for youth in care, and helping other youth develop self-advocacy abilities. We are part of the One Voice IMPAACT (OVI) statewide network of youth councils supported by Selfless Love Foundation and Florida Coalition for Children.

Learning these valuable advocacy skills takes time and continuous effort, but knowing the potential impact on other youth is my driving force. When I was in foster care, I felt powerless to the decisions that were impacting me daily, and frequently moved for unfair reasons, lost close friends and connections to people that mattered. I often wondered who cared about me because those supposed to care kept giving up on me. I quickly learned how to become an advocate for myself through the help of my Guardian Ad Litem’s. These two outstanding individuals taught me what it means to be heard and helped connect me with the leadership organizations I work with today. I found my voice and learned how to help others share theirs.

My advocacy experiences have helped me learn tremendous leadership skills, grow confidence in my public speaking, build a network with community and state leaders, and participate in statewide youth leadership activities. These are the opportunities I hope all former foster youth may experience! It is important to remember that youth need space to feel valued and comfortable in sharing their stories. Helping youth develop their voice is critical for inspiring generations of leaders with the capacity for empathy and courage to help change the lives of other youth still in care. Life is ongoing and ever-changing, and so are the people learning to navigate it each day. Learning from my trauma and helping others build courage in sharing their experience has had the most incredible impact on my life. I hope it will have a similar impact on many others lives across the state of Florida.

You can help young people feel heard by signing the Youth Voice Pledge, developed by One Voice IMPAACT, due to Governor DeSantis declaring November 4th Foster Youth Voice Day in Florida. Help share this blog on social media and tell others that foster youth are just like all youth who need support and resources to achieve their dreams and become valued members of our community.

My name is Rayla James, I am twenty years old, and I currently live in Brevard County, Florida. I am a senior at the University of Central Florida working towards my bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education. I advocate on both a local and state level, using my experiences in foster care to help others feel heard and inspire future resilient leaders.

October 6, 2021 By fosteryouthvoicemonth

The Significance of “Youth Voice”

Thirty years serving children and youth here in Florida has taught me much about the systemic prioritization that was designed to provide safety, well-being and permanency, all of which is evaluated by the broad metrics that haven’t necessarily reflected value in the voice of our youth.

In fact, through my journey, which started as an in-home counselor three decades ago, I was immediately drawn to the engagement of these youth. I believed then, and exponentially more so now, that they would educate me more than textbooks, supervisors, and institutionally knowledgeable professionals. They inspired me, enlightened me and humbled me, as they shared profound perspectives of their own journey traveling through a complex, overwhelming and complicated system. As a clinician, all I ever wanted to do was help individuals feel a grounded sense of self, whole, connected and valued. What I realized was how traumatic the journey truly was for so many of them … and that was after the trauma that brought them into the formal child welfare system.

Today, my organization and I are committed to perpetuating a new journey, one that values youth voice, expectations, thoughts, hopes and dreams in a trauma responsive fashion that helps them feel more like a part of the family than a “product of the system.”

We are driven to incorporate our youth’s voice in everything we do with them, for them and because of them. In Brevard County, we have a thriving council that engages our community of stakeholders while uniting other youth to become catalysts for change, paving a more defined path towards self-worth, hope and opportunity regardless of their permanency outcome. Because of our Youth’s prophetic voices, more folks in our industry are stopping to listen and willing to do things differently and most importantly, engaging our youth in problem-solving from a strength-based approach where we are simply stronger together. Sign the Youth Voice Pledge today!

By Phil Scarpelli, CEO of Brevard Family Partnership

October 5, 2021 By fosteryouthvoicemonth

The Importance of Youth Voice and Choice in Care

“Nothing about us without us.” This is the modern rallying cry for foster youth across the nation…

October 1, 2021 By fosteryouthvoicemonth

Youth Voice Matters

It is time to listen to youth voices in the foster care system. We cannot improve the system without gathering feedback from the consumers of our programs. We MUSTraise youth voice from a whisper to a thunderous roar. We MUST integrate lessons learned from their lived experience to improve our programs, processes, and policies.