Vol. 8, No. 1• November 2003
SaySo: Changing the Profile of Foster Youth
by Nancy Carter
In past years when I asked the current and former foster youth who make up the Board of Directors of SaySo if they were going to college, the answers weren’t good. I’d hear them say, “I wish!” “It’s not happening this year,” and “I was supposed to be going but….”
This year was different. I found that 32% of the board members at our summer 2003 meeting were in high school or completing a GED. The other 68% (16 kids) had been accepted to and were planning on attending college.
College? National statistics indicate 13% of youths transitioning out of foster care enter college, compared to the 60–70% of the overall population of high school graduates.
After the initial shock—the kids were as surprised as I was—we began to ask ourselves, “Wow, what’s going on here?”
In the Beginning
SaySo (Strong Able Youth Speaking Out) debuted in 1998 through a collaboration between the NC Child Advocacy Institute and Independent Living Resources, Inc. Funding through a Kellogg Foundation grant provided the impetus for the “NC Foster Youth Association.”
The name quickly changed because youth attending the first meeting were empowered to develop the structure, rules, membership criteria, and overall purpose of the organization. We watched as, for the first time in North Carolina, an organization was created by young people for young people. It was amazing! It took time to develop an organization where young people believed they could be heard and—in partnership with adults—create needed solutions and develop exciting programs. It took time, but it happened.
This group continues today as SaySo, Inc., which officially incorporated as a nonprofit in March 2003. It is currently funded by the NC LINKS Program and coordinated by Independent Living Resources, Inc.
Accomplishments
Despite obstacles, SaySo has created a network to empower youth through leadership, advocacy, education, and support. SaySo holds a statewide conference (first Saturday of each March) called “SaySo Saturday” where members choose the organization’s board of directors. Other activities include public speaking, cooperative trainings (with Guardians ad Litem, social workers, foster parents, and legal representatives), public service announcements for foster/adoptive parent recruitment, and life skills conferences. While SaySo’s board maintains an active statewide presence, the SaySo chapters in Moore, Caldwell, Mecklenburg, Wake, Guilford, and Cumberland Counties are more involved in local initiatives. SaySo has 173 general members, representing only 8% of the North Carolina foster youths aged 14 and older.
The Secret of SaySo
Over the years some things have changed. Others remain the same. SaySo continues to attract young people from all over the state to be on its board of directors. Despite the variety of their substitute care experiences, SaySo members are united by a common desire to support foster youths and to fulfill the SaySo mission: to improve the substitute care system by educating the community, speaking out about needed changes, and providing support to youth that are or have been in substitute care.
This mission—and the activities that support it—are influencing the mindset of SaySo youths. They are beating the odds, overcoming obstacles, and finding strength in their peer relationships. Not only are they surviving, they are thriving. SaySo youths feel empowered to make a difference, see possibilities instead of pitfalls, control their destiny, and want positive outcomes for themselves and others. They are changing the stigma associated with foster care!
Peer support and teamwork are powerful tools. As one young woman put it, “We’re like family to each other. We celebrate together and we help each other in bad times, too.”
Why were we surprised to see so many young people staying in school and going to college? Maybe we had forgotten that when young people have the opportunity, support, and guidance to do good things…they do great things!
Nancy Carter is the Program Coordinator for Independent Living Resources, Inc. She says, “Promoting higher education for foster youths will no doubt continue as federal education vouchers are instituted. Look for more on this topic in future issues of Fostering Perspectives and the SaySo newsletter, Having Our Say.”
To start a local chapter, become a SaySo member or sponsor, or to receive a complete listing of SaySo activities, contact sayso@ilrinc.com, 800-820-0001, or visit our website http://nc-sayso.tripod.com.
Copyright � 2003 Jordan Institute for Families
