2011 Wendy's Wonderful Kids Summit ~ Youth Panel

Link to more photos.

The 2011 Wendy's Wonderful Kids Summit took place at the Hilton at Easton.

Attendees included adoption recruiters and their supervisors from all 50 states and Canada - 250 adoption professionals who work to find families for children in United States foster care. Many work with older youth.

Lisa Dickson, of the Ohio chapter of Foster Care Alumni of America, moderated a 3-panel youth panel presentation, made up of members of the Montgomery County VISION Board and the Ohio Youth Advisory board.

Panel members Tyniesha ("Tiny") Lanos, Brianna Christian and Adrian McLemore did a wonderful job!

2011 life changing power of adoption

View more presentations from Lisa Dickson

2011 Summit County Youth Panel

On May 12, representatives from the Summit County Youth Advisory Board, "Leaders of Tomorrow" participated in a three-hour youth panel about the "Aspects of Positive Foster Care Placement" facilitated by Lisa Dickson during the 2011 NEORTC Foster Parent conference.

Resources for Ohio youth "aging out" of foster care

Employment

• Foster care youth are 100% eligible for WIA funds.
• Contact your local WIA Board.

Food

• Go with the young person to apply for food stamps, or accompany him or her to the nearest Food Bank.
• Here's a list of Food Banks in Ohio.

GED

• Job Corps is a great way to complete a high school education, and even provides housing!
• Ohio has three Jobs Corps Centers.

Healthcare

• Foster care youth who "age out" of the system can receive Medicaid until age 21.
• Navigating the adult Medicaid system can be challenging.
• Don't assume that the staff at the Medicaid office will be aware of this program -- bring a copy of the flyer.

Higher Ed

• Ohio Reach is a statewide initiative to increase the number of foster care youth who enroll in and graduate from college.
• A good place to start in choosing a college is to look over the list of Ohio Reach Campus Liaisons.

Housing

• The Family Unification Program provides housing vouchers for which foster care alumni are eligible.
• Find out if your county has applied for FUPS - and how to make this happen.

Legal Assistance

Are you a current or former foster youth between ages 16-25?

Do you need help with:

• Understanding legal papers? 
• Getting healthcare, public benefits, housing or insurance? 
• Applying to college? Deleting criminal records? 
• Finding your social security card, birth certificate, or other personal documents? 
• Speaking up for yourself in court, at school or in the community? 

Contact the Foster Youth Advocacy Center: (614) 236-6768, fyac@law.capital.edu

Literacy

• Have you contacted your local library and/or Literacy Council?
• The Ohio Literacy Network offers a free online membership.

Mental Health

• Each Ohio county has a Mental Health Board, and it's up to us to advocate for specific services for transitioning foster care youth.
• It's important to be aware that former foster youth suffer from PTSD at a rate twice that of Vietnam war veterans.

Parenting

• The Ohio Parent Information Network provides free information and support, and the State Library of Ohio has compiled this list of additional resources.
• Foster Care Alumni of America recently published a book, FLUX, which includes a chapter on parenting after foster care.

Phone Bills

• Lifeline, Link Up, and Toll Limitation Service (TLS) help keep Americans connected by making basic, local telephone service more affordable for more than 7 million Americans.

Self Advocacy

• Mission Transition is a free online resource.
• Another free online source is the Foster Youth Rights Handbook created by the Ohio YAB.

Social Security

• Emancipating foster care youth with disabilities can submit SSI applications up to 90 days before federal foster care payments are supposed to end.
• Remind the staff member that this is an exception to the general rule regarding this process.