2020 Summer Leadership & Policy Conference
Over the course of a 10-day span, we learned about statewide and federal advocacy, built leadership and communication skills, connected with other youth based organizations, and discussed local, statewide, and national foster care issues that need to be addressed.
Every aspect of this summer conference was planned, supported, and facilitated by CYC Members! Below are a few recordings of this year’s SLPC workshops, we hope you enjoy!
Introduction to CYC
CYC Members and Youth: New to CYC? Or are you unsure of all the committees and opportunities available to you as a member? This workshop goes over a brief history of what CYC has done in the legislative arena and how we work as an organization. Get a brief explanation of all the committees and positions we have within the organization so you can decide which leadership roles are best for you. Volunteer Supporters & Adult Allies: Want to help your youth get involved? Are you unsure of all the committees and opportunities available to our foster youth members? This workshop goes over a brief history of what CYC has done in the legislative arena and how we work as an organization. Get tips about how to get the youth you work with engaged.CYC COVID-19 Task Force: Accessing Resources for Foster Youth
CYC Members and Youth will develop specific solutions for their community and decision makers, learning how to apply these solutions locally and statewide. Participants will think critically about the issues associated with the impact of COVID-19 and develop their ideas for solutions together. This workshop is for members and youth to be empowered with the accountability to move their demands forward.Youth-Powered System Change: #UPChafee Campaign
Have you been following the #UPChafee campaign? Curious about the impact of COVID-19 on foster care in your state? Want to learn how youth expertise can inform and influence change at the federal level–both administratively and legislatively? Join an interactive dialogue with young leaders and FosterClub staff to discuss opportunities for engagement, policy priorities, and advocacy strategies regarding emergency aid to young people during the current pandemic as well as improved supports for older youth, including Chafee and ETV services.Juvenile Justice Task force
In this workshop, CYC members and current/former foster youth guests will create a space to learn about the origins of the Juvenile Justice system and highlight common pitfalls of its current punitive policies. Looking through a restorative lens, participants will critically analyze the root causes of case studies where youth are criminalized by the current Juvenile Justice system. In light of California’s recent shift of the Juvenile Justice division out of the Department of Corrections into Health and Human Services, group participants will engage in conversations around being more inclusive of juvenile justice issues in our advocacy.From Crisis to Transformation
Dig into the systemic root causes that have led up to the foster care system as we know it today. We are now in a moment of opportunity to advance demands for structural reform. How do we stand on the foundation leaders before us have built and truly transform the foster care system?CYC Members & Youth Assembly and Town Hall
Join CYC’s Virtual Town Hall with young people who have experienced foster care! Stakeholders and child welfare decision-makers will hear strategies for improving the quality of life within foster care directly from young people. Youth will share their voice, passion, creative expressions, and the vision to transform the foster care system.
As we progress in connecting our community virtually, we welcome your questions and encourage you to provide us with feedback. Please take a few minutes to take the online evaluation below. If you have any questions please email, info@calyouthconn.org.