Statewide Quarterly OHIO Youth Advisory Board Meeting, July 2013

Youth brainstormed about the following topics:

• OHIO Youth Advisory Board Handbook
• Topics for Youth Housing Focus Group during Connecting the Dots Conference
• Topics for Youth Panel during Connecting the Dots Conference

Representatives from the National Foster  Youth Action Network came to present. Youth voted that they would prefer to be allies of NFYAN, rather than officially join the network at this time. Youth expressed the desire to support the efforts of NFYAN by sharing toolkits and training materials.

July 2013 OHIO Youth Advisory Board Meeting

The July quarterly meeting of the Ohio Youth Advisory Board will include youth representatives from Cuyahoga, Fairfield, Franklin, Greene, Hamilton, Lorain, Miami and Montgomery Counties. The following topics are scheduled to be discussed:

 

2013 july yab meeting from Lisa Dickson

2013 Purple Project Conference

Representatives from TAGyc, Cuyahoga County's Teen Advisory Group youth council, participated as volunteers in assisting with the facilitation of the 2013 Purple Project Conference.

Stark County Youth Advisory Board Retreat

On Saturday, June 1st, Alex McFarland and Lisa Dickson traveled to Stark County to facilitate the Stark County Youth Advisory Board Retreat. Participating youth were insightful and articulate. As part of their follow-up, the Stark County Youth Advisory Board updated their Constitution and Code of Conduct.

More photos from Congressional Foster Youth Shadow Day

OHIO YAB John Davis speaks at Ohio CASA Day

On April 30, OHIO YAB President John Davis shared a keynote during the third annual CASA Day in Ohio.

Link to more photos.

Jenny Konrath and Sarah Callihan participate in Congressional Foster Youth Shadow Day

On May 21, participating Members of Congress were paired with 40 foster care alumni (ages 18-22) from the Member’s Congressional district. Participating youth accompanied their Members of Congress to hearings, meetings, floor votes, and other activities throughout the morning. These young people had the opportunity to share their stories with Members of Congress and discuss reforms to the foster care system.

Kudos to Jenny Konrath and Sarah Callihan for being chosen to participate in this exciting opportunity. Jenny Konrath was paired with Congresswoman Marcia L. Fudge, representing Ohio's 11th District.  Sarah Callihan was paired with Congressman Steve Stivers, representing Ohio's 15th District.

Foster Youth Shadow Day Description: Members of Congress are paired with foster youth from their districts. They spend the morning together, from 9:30 am to 1:00 pm.

Representative Marcia L. Fudge posted on her FaceBook page that: May is National Foster Care Month and I had the pleasure of having Jenny Konrath, a young lady from the Dayton area shadow me as part of Foster Youth Shadow Day in Washington. Let me tell you some amazing things about Jenny. She spent 12 years in foster care and is currently a junior at Alter High School. She’s involved in several sports and is an active member of the Ohio Youth Advisory Board and the VISION Board. I enjoyed taking her to an Education and the Workforce Committee hearing with me and motivating her to pursue her dream of becoming an attorney focusing on legislation and advocacy. Yes you can, Jenny. You are that remarkable!