2023 OHIO YAB meeting with the Governor's Office and Ohio Department of Education

 

On Monday, January 30, 2023, the OHIO YAB held a meeting with Kara Wente and Lillian Clossman of ODJFS and Wendy Grove and Jessica Horowitz-Moore of the Ohio Department of Education.

The presentation was shared by OHIO YAB Youth Ambassadors Mattie, Raven and Cynthia. Alexys also dedicated her time ahead of time to help prepare the presentation. 

The discussion focused on Educational Supports for Ohio Foster Youth, in Grades K-12.  Although the Every Student Succeeds Act requires school districts to have Foster Care Liaisons to support students K-12 in/from foster care, these positions exist on paper, but not consistently in practice. This leads to missed opportunities to promote to Ohio’s foster youth and to seek to positively impact their educational outcomes.

Youth shared a vision:

• For district Foster Care Liaisons throughout the state to be designated not only by name, but also by training, support and their daily actions to support our vulnerable population

• For district Foster Care Liaisons throughout the state to receive mandatory training in order to be well-informed about the rights and resources of foster youth

• For district Foster Care Liaisons throughout the state to consistently demonstrate initiative to proactively reach out to foster youth in grades K-12

They suggested that the following training(s) be put in place:

January 2023 OHIO YAB Meeting

Link to more photos.

 

Future Youth Presentation to Cuyahoga County leadership

Link to review the slides. 

 

Youth Leaders Discuss Safety Concerns for Cuyahoga County Youth

Councilwoman Yvonne Conwell

On Wednesday, January 11, 2023, Cieria Roman, Raven Grice and Lisa Dickson participated in a virtual meeting with Councilwoman Yvonne Conwell and Policy Advisor LeVine Ross to discuss safety concerns related to Cuyahoga County youth, especially those that have been spending the nights in the Jane Edna Hunter building on a regular basis since 2018.

This was preceded by a prior meeting with Councilman Dale Miller, during which he recommended that we speak with Councilwoman Conwell.

Ohio youth leaders shared their concerns and recommendations, and how important that it is to have foster care youth and alumni at the table. Because it is our lived experience that brings a sense of urgency. Today's youth and young adults often come up with creative solutions that others might not think of...

As Cieria said, “We come ready, we come with our hearts, we come with solutions. These are our brothers and sisters and this is our legacy.”

We also shared:

• Raven's written testimonial about the need for Independent Living Departments

• The work that the OHIO YAB has done on Life Skills Training 

• The videos created by Jewel Harris and Marissa Alcorn and her chosen family to recruit foster parents for teens, and Kelsie’s three part video about What It’s Like to Be a Teen Mom in Foster Care and What Teen Moms in Foster Care Need From Their Foster Parents and that Teen Moms in Foster Care Have Rights and Resources

Councilwoman Yvonne Conwell followed up by sending a message of thanks, and some ideas for next steps forward. 

Ohio Foster Youth Advocacy in 2023

In 2022... 

• Ohio's very first Youth Ombudsman's Office was created. 

• Ohio foster youth helped design a training pathway to aid foster parents in supporting youth with Life Skills and the essential elements of interdependence. 

• Ohio youth leaders created a three-part video series to support teen moms in foster care, and shared insights about the ICCA form, CANS assessment and Tiered Foster Care. 
  
  

2023 will be a year of continued advocacy for...

• Concrete supports for former foster youth after the age of 21.

• Better safeguards for youth who run away from abusive situations, and continued conversations with the Cuyahoga County Council.

• Hosting a Self Care Summit for current and former foster youth.