Elevating Youth Voice to Foster Change

Being a young person in our society and living by the systems, laws, and government regulations can be challenging, but is considered normal. Now imagine juggling that challenging task while dealing with emotional stress, family issues, and living in a complete stranger’s home whose rules and customs are all foreign to you.

This was my experience as a teenager in the foster care system. I constantly struggled to get the adults around me to truly hear me when I spoke about my needs, dreams and ideas on how the child welfare system could improve. Many times, I felt disengaged and unheard in my dependency case, which greatly affected my future.