One of the true joys of my time at Connecticut Voices for Children has been working with an extraordinary group of young people in Connecticut’s foster care system who participate in the Department of Children and Families’ youth advisory boards.

Last fall, a group of over 50 of these young people, from all throughout the state, came together at the Legislative Office Building to participate in Foster Youth Capitol Day.  The event was co-sponsored by Connecticut Voices for Children, Rep. Toni Walker, and Rep. Peter Tercyak, and was made possible with the support of the Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative (JCYOI). 

Youth spoke about their priorities for improving Connecticut’s child welfare system, including mproving educational opportunities for children in foster care and maintaining contact with separated siblings.  The following video provides some highlights of the event:

We prepared this clip for our 2011 First for Kids award ceremony, where we had the opportunity to recognize JCYOI, as well as yet another amazing young leader, Sixto M. Cancel.  We want to thank JCYOI for their leadership in bringing national awareness to the issues affecting young people “aging out” of the foster care system.  Even more importantly, we want to thank Sixto and the young people who participated in Foster Youth Capitol Day for sharing their stories, and for their dedication to improving Connecticut’s child welfare system.