Vol. 3, No. 1 • Fall 1998

would like a good teen or group picture

Youth Have a "Say So"
in Foster Care
by Damien Jackson

There was something about his eyes. Maybe it was the way they twinkled when he smiled, or how they suggested a sincerity beyond his years as he spoke. Eleven-year-old Shaimon of Asheville sat at the table with ten other youth who are or have been in foster care. This was their third meeting together. Their topic of discussion...a new statewide association of youth who are or have been in foster care.

"It gives us a chance to go up to the head of DSS and let him know what's happenin' down here," Shaimon offered. "I was once in foster care and they didn't tell you that much, like when you were gonna be moved. This is a better way to get in touch with people working the system."

Shaimon is not alone in his passion to create a voice for youth in substitute care. For six months the Raleigh-based NC Child Advocacy Institute, as part of its work with the Families for Kids initiative, has been working with an advisory committee of youth-in-care, former youth-in-care, and adult supporters to create a more effective platform for concerned youngsters like Shaimon. "We have approximately 12,000 children and youth in foster care in North Carolina. There are many more children in other types of substitute care--placements through the mental health or juvenile justice system. For the most part these young people have no voice in the systems that control their lives. Nevertheless, they have opinions, they have smart ideas, and they want to be heard. This association will give them that opportunity," says Michelle Hughes, Public Action Director for the NC Child Advocacy Institute.

On this afternoon, the room buzzed with excitement as the advisory committee's youth members struggled to come up with a name for the association. They would be joined later by adult supporters to discuss the association's policies and organizational structure. After considering a number of possibilities, the committee agreed upon "SAY SO," or Strong Able Youth Speaking Out." Nodding heads and confident looks confirmed they had chosen well. Now they possessed an identifiable vehicle for their energies and hopes, one they could drive as far as they desired.

According to advisory committee members, SAY SO's mission is to improve the substitute care system by educating the community, speaking out about needed changes, and providing support to youth who are or have been in substitute care.

"This association will allow youth a more open opinion of what goes on and more control over situations they get into, since it is their lives," suggested Kim, a composed 18-year-old from Charlotte. She adjusted her round, steel-rimmed glasses before continuing. "When I was in foster care, I didn't like it. I'm here because I realized there are ways to assist others in care."

The youth involved in developing this statewide organization have a lot to say to foster parents, social workers, teachers, and other youth in care. Mindy and Crystal of Shelby spoke of foster youths' frustration in not being able to attend their own case reviews; Kokita doesn't believe children in foster care should have to be moved so much; and Ricky of Kings Mountain talked about the need for local concerns to be heard and addressed by a "higher authority" (i.e., at the state level). Black Mountain's Titus, 17 years old and as tall as his name suggests, expressed the concerns of his peers best: "They (DSS, caregivers) need to know where we're coming from. They should look at the system through our eyes and realize what we're going through."

Shaimon seemed content. The day had been a productive one. The association now had a name, a mission, and a developing organizational framework. Before leaving, he flashed his smile at those young faces now bound to him through mutual interest. And as each grin bounced right back at him, Shaimon's optimism was confirmed. For like the others, he had hope that his voice would ultimately be heard. He also had hope for the collective plight of thousands of youth-in-care throughout the state.

Copyright � 2000 Jordan Institute for Families