The Overcoming Hurdles in Ohio Youth Advisory Board (OHIO YAB) is a statewide organization of young people, ages 14-24, who have experienced foster care.
We exist to be the knowledgeable statewide voice that influences policies and practices that impact youth who experience out of home care, including foster care, kinship care, adoption, group homes and residential facilities.
In 2024, five OHIO YAB Youth Ambassadors participated in a video project to share what OHIO YAB membership means to them: Yavian, Miatta, Aaron, Erik and Jahmie.
Also, in this video, Alivia shares how local YABs connect youth with leadership and growth opportunities.
Statewide Quarterly Meetings
The OHIO Youth Advisory Board meets on a quarterly basis, on the third Thursday of January, April, July and October. Here is a link to our meeting schedule in 2026.
General Format of Statewide OHIO YAB meetings:
- OHIO YAB Youth Ambassadors report out on recent events (sometimes this takes place after lunch)
- Youth participants separate into brainstorming sessions in different corners of the room
- Lunch
- Youth participants report out on each brainstorming session
- New and Good / Updates from county/regional YABs
Best way to prepare to facilitate a brainstorming session during the statewide OHIO YAB meeting:
- Provide copies of the materials that you plan to invite youth to review
- Flip Chart pages will be posted on the wall at your brainstorming station
- Markers will be provided for one of your staff members to take notes during youth discussion
- It can be helpful to have one person ask youth questions and invite their insights, and a second person use the Flip Charts and markers to write down what youth participants say
- Having these written bullet points also support youth leaders when they report out during the afternoon
Overcoming Hurdles in Ohio Youth Advisory Board
The OHIO YAB leadership structure is made up of representatives from county and regional Youth Advisory Boards, similar to the United Nation’s leadership structure. Here is a link to our OHIO YAB Youth Ambassador Nomination Form.
While not every Ohio county has a local or regional Youth Advisory Board, youth from the following counties have participated in one or more recent OHIO YAB statewide events and/or quarterly meetings: Allen, Ashtabula, Athens, Belmont, Champaign, Clark, Clinton, Cuyahoga, Delaware, Fairfield, Franklin, Geauga, Greene, Hamilton, Highland, Jackson, Lake, Lawrence, Licking, Lorain, Lucas, Mahoning, Miami, Montgomery, Perry, Pike, Portage, Preble, Putnam, Ross, Vinton, Sandusky, Stark, Summit, Trumbull, Van Wert, Warren and Wood Counties.
OHIO YAB Youth Ambassadors:
- Mattie Harrod and Sharvon Horace, Allen County
- Asher Martin and Sarah Martin, Athens County
- Todd Brooklyn, Ashtabula County
- Victoria Mott-Russell, Champaign County
- Kevin Pool, Clark County
- Raven Grice and Regine Turner, Cuyahoga County
- Sabrina Niezgoda, Delaware County
- Miatta Joe, Yavian Webster, Alivia Johnson, Cynthia Louis-Charles and Jorden Cooper, Franklin County
- Kendalyn Paynter and Forest Leis, Greene County
- Yonnae Ase, Yalonda Sherrod, Alana Johnson and Brooke Winstead, Hamilton County
- Renee Washington, Hancock County
- Kirsten Lewis, Jackson County
- Erik Ezekiel, Rory Roudebush and KC Carter, Licking County
- Zoey Hyatt and La’Naya Martin, Lorain County
- Timyah Ciboro, Lucas County
- Jaylin Hart, Jordan Deaton, Shayla Vanderpool and Aryunna Hill, Montgomery County
- Dinastea Pierre, Portage County
- Lyric Ruffin, Stark County
- Kayla Daniels, Trumbull County
- Kelsie Brown, Warren County
- Emma Christian, Wayne County
- Kinsley (Kayla) Spires, Williams County
- Jonathan Thomas, Wood County
Ohio YAB Resources
- A menu of ways that community members can help improve outcomes for the foster care population. We encourage those who want to empower youth voice to learn more about best practices when it comes to engaging foster care youth and alumni.
- A video to recruit community members to serve as foster parents for teenagers. The video application is closed, and we are happy to announce that this project is complete. You can watch the finished video on YouTube.
- A toolkit to support county and regional Youth Advisory Boards.
- A flyer specifically to invite Bridges young adults to participate in statewide quarterly meetings, and liaisons/agencies to transport them.
- If you are a young person who wants to get more involved in the statewide board, we invite you to fill out a OHIO YAB Membership Form. During meetings, youth participants can elect to share demographical information.
- The OHIO YAB welcomes insights and invitations from our allies. The Board has established protocols if you would like to invite youth to participate on a panel, or if you are interested in sharing information at one of our statewide quarterly meetings. Youth have also recommended a protocol for CST engagement.
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