2018 January OHIO Youth Advisory Board Meeting

Link to more photos.


 

2018 ohio yab january meeting from Lisa Dickson

2018 OHIO YAB Policy Retreat

*Link to photos


Ice and snow greatly impeded youth participation for yesterday's OHIO YAB Retreat. So we focused on listening to, supporting and empowering the youth who were able to be there.

One of them is going to meet with legislators on Tuesday about the Ohio Sibling Visitation Bill. Ida Yarngo spent part of her time at the Retreat preparing to share before legislators why sibling visitation is so very important.

She shared that when she came to the United States from Liberia, and everyone and everything that she had ever known was now literally a continent away. And the one familiar comfort to her was her brother. And then she lost that.

She said, "I shouldn't be fighting this battle myself."

Ida is eager to meet the legislators who are championing this legislation, and thank them for fighting alongside of her to improve policy regarding this important issue.

Another is preparing to give legislative testimony about why police should be mandated reporters. Sabrina was adopted into an abusive home. If the police officers who visited the house had been mandated reporters, and had notified children services about what was going on, she would have been safeguarded from additional abuse.