Empowering Youth Voices: Advocates for Children CASA’s Youth Advisory Board

The Youth Advisory Board (YAB) at Advocates for Children CASA started with an idea that has flourished into a group of 7 members, ages 13 to 26, who are passionate about improving the lives of the youth and young adults we work with.

This group consists of young people and is led by young people! In January 2024, YAB members created a shared vision regarding the impact they wanted to create (pictured here). Since then, YAB Members have met monthly to work on that shared vision.

The Youth Advisory Board is an opportunity for the Board of Directors and Staff to ensure the efficacy of the services we offer through collaboration, consultation, and information sharing with the populations we serve. However, the YAB also serves as a modality for the growth of members through the practice and development of professional skills.

YAB Members are compensated for their work and are tasked with providing feedback and insight on areas of improvement, and generating greater awareness in the community through projects, events, and other avenues identified by members. In August 2024, four YAB members participated in a focus group regarding housing and transitioning out of foster care. They shared their knowledge and personal experiences with adults who are trying to find solutions to the housing crisis young people are experiencing.

YAB members have also been tasked with evaluating surveys and creating their own Youth Feedback Survey for Advocates for Children CASA that will be implemented in the new fiscal year. This survey is the first step in eliciting feedback directly from the youth and young adults we work with every day.

The work that our YAB Members are doing is only beginning, and we are so excited to see where they go from here!