The Overcoming Hurdles in Ohio Youth Advisory Board (OHIO YAB) is a statewide organization of young people (aged 14-24) who have experienced foster care.
We exist to be the knowledgeable statewide voice that influences policies and practices that impact youth who have or will experience out of home care.
Statewide Quarterly Meetings
The OHIO Youth Advisory Board meets on a quarterly basis. Here is our 2020 Statewide Meeting Schedule.
If you are a foster care youth or alumni who is planning to attend or an adult who will be transporting young people, please RSVP to info@fosteractionohio.org. (We want to make sure that youth and alumni are included in the lunch count).
If you are a youth who wants to get more involved in the statewide board, we invite you to fill out the Ohio YAB Officer in Training Application. This provides an opportunity to shadow and work with current officers, and be involved in statewide decision-making and implementation of youth ideas.
The OHIO YAB welcomes insights and invitations from our allies. We have established protocol 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.
OHIO Youth Advisory Board Projects:
These include:
- 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.
Overcoming Hurdles in Ohio Youth Advisory Board
Officers
President:
Samantha Dillon, Athens County
Vice President:
Roman Sandhu, Allen County
Media Spokesperson:
Denzel Warren, Franklin County
Parliamentarians:
Stevie Hayslip, Greene County
Secretary:
Jaelyn Torrence, Stark County
Treasurer:
Ja’Nisha Butler, Cuyahoga County
Officers-in-Training
- Kyajah Rodriguez, Jamilia Battle, Jazmin Blair, and Talia Holmes, Franklin County
- Paige Davier, Mikaylee Morgan and Sabrina Walters, Stark County
- Annabel Holland, Greene County
Ohio YAB Resources
2020 OHIO YAB Strategic Focus Areas
General Format of Statewide OHIO YAB meetings:
11 am – 11:15 am – OHIO YAB Youth Officers report out on recent events
11:15 – noon – Youth participants separate into brainstorming sessions in different corners of the room
Noon – Lunch
12:30 – Continued brainstorming
1:00 pm – Youth participants report out on their brainstorming, and define next steps to move forward
1:45 pm – New and Good / Updates from county/regional YABs
2:00 pm – Departure
