Vol. 13, No. 1• November 2008

SaySo Takes It on the Road

by Nancy Carter

Here’s an quick update on the activities of your favorite youth advocacy group, Strong Able Youth Speaking Out (SaySo).

Road Show – Connecting the State
SaySo Board members want to bring the mission of SaySo to local programs. SaySo’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 care. By presenting to local groups of caregivers, prospective adoptive parents, future social workers, foster youths (who can’t always attend SaySo programming) and policy makers, SaySo board members hope to reconnect with alumni, create more local chapters, and support change in local communities.

To make this happen, SaySo needs to know which organizations or schools are interested in sponsoring a short SaySo forum. Sponsors will need to cover costs required to bring board members to the area. Several groups can jointly sponsor a forum. If you are interested, e-mail [email protected] with information on location, suggested times, and targeted audience.

Orientation – A New Decade Ahead
In June, previous and newly elected board members joined for a three-day team building retreat at Sandhills Community College. They helped each other overcome amazing obstacles and learned more about SaySo and their roles as board members. They created a year-long plan to determine their priorities, planned the 2008 summer LINK Up conference in Winston Salem, and made arrangements to present at the National Independent Living Association Conference in Orlando in September. Events involving Sayso to be held in 2009 include another LINK Up conference in January, SaySo Saturday in March, and SaySo Survivor IV in April. The year will culminate with SaySo Page Week during foster care month (May 2009). The coming year will be an active one as a new decade of SaySo begins with a dedicated board of young people.

Local Chapters – A Way to Be Heard
To improve substitute care in North Carolina, youths need to be heard at the local level. As part of our state’s Program Improvement Plan (PIP), directors of county DSS agencies are being asked to listen to programming suggestions from older youths. To contribute to this process, SaySo will help “jump-start” local chapters’ involvement as sounding boards for DSS directors. SaySo members are asked not to whine about the problems but to become part of the solution. This philosophy makes a local chapter an asset to any area and a natural vehicle for improving services. For more information on how to start a chapter or to request a youth speaker to assist a local chapter, contact Rhiannon Galen (800/820-0001; [email protected]).

Website – A Place for Information
SaySo's website www.saysoinc.org has more than just SaySo information. It has ways to register for statewide youth events and information for older teens and alumni. For instance, there’s information on how to prepare for further education, employment, a section for youths to post their poems and stories, and numerous links to important information. If you have suggestions, send them to us at [email protected].

Copyright � 2008 Jordan Institute for Families