Raising Youth Voice: Empowering Young

People through Strategic

Communications

Delia Ulima, Statewide Initiative CoordinatorHawai‘i Youth Opportunities Initiative/EPIC ‘Ohana Inc.

Noy Worachit, Jim Casey Young FellowVice President, HI H.O.P.E.S. Youth Leadership Board

Workshop Overview Five Components of a Successful Youth

Engagement Infrastructure

Four Core Principles of Strategic Communication for Youth Engagement Work

Communication Tools: Youth Advocacy Document and Legislative Advocacy

Marketing and Communication with the Youth Voice

Hawai‘i Youth Opportunities Initiative

The Hawai‘i Youth Opportunities Initiative helps youth leaving foster care become successful adults in their communities.  We work with youth and community partners to provide access to education, employment, financial capability, health care, housing, family relationships and social capital.

Started in 2010 as partner site of the Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative in Hawai‘i

Private and public funding and partnerships

Foster Care in Hawai‘i Department of Human Services/Child Welfare

Services statewide in 4 counties About 1,100 children in foster care annually About half are Native Hawaiian 200 young people in foster care between 14-18 Average of 90-100 young people exit foster care

every year at 18 or older

Youth Engagement Infrastructure

Youth leadership boards Community partnership boards Public and private partnerships Opportunities for young people to

engage Ongoing meetings, trainings and

support

Youth Engagement Infrastructure

Youth leadership boards: “Youth engagement is vital to the success of the HYOI. The youth leadership boards provide the youth voice by educating others on the needs of transitioning foster youth, collaborating with community partners and advocating for improved outcomes.”

HI H.O.P.E.S. Youth Leadership Boards

Youth Engagement Infrastructure

Community partnership boards (“CP Hui”)

CP Hui Members (O‘ahu)• Michael Broderick, CEO, Y.M.C.A.• Lynne Kazama, Dept. of Human Services, Child Welfare Services Assistant

Program Development Administrator, Independent Living Programs• Scott Fujii, Vice President, Bank of Hawai‘i• Signe Godfrey, President, Olsten Staffing Services• Kathy Matayoshi, Superintendent, Department of Education• Kayle Perez, Dept. of Human Services, Child Welfare Services Branch

Administrator• Erika Lacro, Chancellor, Honolulu Community College• Oswald Stender, Trustee, Office of Hawaiian Affairs• Janice Takahashi, Chief Planner, Hawai‘i Housing Finance and Development

Corporation• Honorable Bode A. Uale, District Court Family Judge• Noy Worachit, HI H.O.P.E.S. Youth Leadership Board, Vice-President• Honorable Patrick K.S.L. Yim, Retired Judge First Circuit Court, Queen

Lili‘uokalani Children’s Center Trustee, EPIC ‘Ohana Board Member• Gernani Yutob, Jr., HI H.O.P.E.S. Youth Leadership Board, President

Youth Engagement Infrastructure

Public and private partnerships

Youth Engagement Infrastructure

Opportunities for young people to engage

Youth Engagement Infrastructure

Ongoing meetings, trainings and support

Core Principles of Strategic Communication for Youth

Engagement

Goal: Value and develop authentic youth voice and engagement to advocate for improved

outcomes

Training: Strategic Sharing Preparation Support Debrief

Strategic Sharing

What is the issue? How does this relate to young people affected by foster care? How does this relate to your experience? How does data support this issue?What is the recommendation/ask?Who needs to hear this message?

Strategic Sharing

YOUTH ADVOCACY MESSAGE PALLET FOUNDATION

ISSUE WHY THIS ISSUE IS IMPORTANT TO

ALL YOUNG PEOPE

HOW MY STORY OR PART OF STORY

RELATES ~ WHY THIS ISSUE IS IMPORTANT TO ME

DATA OR OTHER SUPPORTING MATERIALS

KEY MESSAGES RELEVANT AUDIENCES

A mandatory provision in Fostering Connections requires that young people lead to development of their case planning including permanency planning and transition planning that address education and employment goals and is finalized during the 90 period immediately prior to leaving care.

Young people need to be involved in their transition planning so they will be comfortable with:

Where they are going to live

How they will support themselves

The available supports in the community where they will live

Have permanent connections to adults that will provide emotional and perhaps financial support

Have a plan for post secondary education and/or a job

Knowledge of their health care options

I was not part of my transition planning. My caseworker thought I would go to live with a friend of mine. That did not work out for me and I did not know any other resources I could access to help me find a new place to live. Luckily another friend let me move in, until I was able to save up money for my own place. Without that friend I could have been homeless.

Research from the University of Wisconsin shows that involving young people in their own transitions to adulthood improves their sense of mastery, health, and compassions, and enhances the perception by adults of young people’s confidence.

Child welfare agencies should engage young people in the development of their personalized transition plans, so they have ownership of it. Personalized transition plans should be created more than 90 days before a young person transitions from care, so they are able to make any changes, which will hopefully help decrease the likelihood of the young person feeling unsupported and unaware of services when they do leave care. Courts should ensure that a “do-able” transition plan is presented and that the young person has participated in defining the details of the transition plan.

Child welfare personnel: Directors Supervisors Caseworkers IL Staff

Court personnel: Judges GAL CASA’s Lawyers

Other key adults: Legislators Foster parents Relative

caregivers Volunteers

Strategic Sharing

Share safely Sharing with a purpose Practice the Principles:

TrainingPreparationSupportDebrief

Youth Advocacy Document•What is the purpose of a YAD?▫Shares the youth voice▫Outlines advocacy

agenda and recommendations

▫Educates and inspires

Youth Advocacy Document

•How do I use a YAD?▫“Calling card” of the youth leadership

board▫Assist youth leadership boards in advocacy

planning▫Disseminate to key stakeholders▫Share at trainings and presentations▫Raise public awareness about needs,

outcomes of transitioning foster youth

Youth Advocacy Document•How do I create a YAD?▫Involve the young people▫Check out existing YADS▫Choose a format

Outcome areas Yearly goals Campaign focus

▫Select a design and layout

Legislative Advocacy

1) Preparation and training

▫Understanding the legislative process▫Participating in legislative work

Strategic sharing Presenting legislative testimony

Legislative Advocacy: Understanding the Legislative Process

HOW A BILL BECOMES LAW IN HAWAI‘I

(Using SB 1340 Example)

BILL INTRODUCED

Voluntary Care to 21 Bill becomes SB 1340

BILL ASSIGNED TO COMMITTEES

SB 1340 Assigned to:

1) Human Services 2) Judiciary 3) Finance

BILL HEARD IN HOUSE COMMITTEES

SB 1340 has a deadline of March 1 to make it through

each committee:

-Be heard (hearing scheduled, committee members receive testimony and discuss bill)

-Voted on (members vote on action: pass, amend or kill)

BILL SENT TO THE FLOOR

March 7 (First Decking: SB 1340 Voted on the House

Floor and passes to the Senate)

BILL CROSSES OVER

TO SENATE CONFERENCE COMMITTEE

*If SB 1340 was amended, representatives from House

and Senate committees come to agreement on final

wording of SB 1340

Final Decking: April 26

BILL ASSIGNED TO COMMITTEES

SB 1340 Assigned to:

1) Human Services 2) Judiciary 3) Ways and

Means

BILL HEARD IN SENATE COMMITTEES

SB 1340 has a deadline of April 5 to make it through each

committee:

-Be heard (hearing scheduled, committee members receive testimony and discuss bill)

-Voted on (members vote on action: pass, amend or kill)

BILL SENT TO FLOOR

April 11 (Second Decking: SB 1340 Voted

on the Senate Floor)

-SB 1340 sent back to the HOUSE

BILL SENT TO GOVERNOR

BILL BECOMES LAW

Bill becomes LAW if: -Signed by Governor

-Not Signed by deadline -Vetoed but overridden

BILL DIES if: -Governor Vetoes and

not overridden

Note: As SB 1340 is amended, the bill numbers reads differently. Ex: SB 1340 HD2 SD2means that it was amended 2 times in both the House and Senate.

Legislative Advocacy: Strategic Sharing

What is the issue? Young people who transitioned from foster care should not have to re-enroll for Medicaid every six month.

What does it mean? Young people who transitioned from foster care often face challenges such as homelessness, underemployment, and becoming parents at a young age, without the support of a parent or caring adult. All of these daily challenges make it difficult for young people to remember to re-enroll in Medicaid every six month.

Supporting statement with Data!

Young people in foster care have higher rates of serious emotional and

behavioral problems, chronic physical disabilities, birth defects,

developmental delays, and poor school achievement when compared

to children from the same socioeconomic background.

However, only 57% of young people formerly in foster care have health

insurance at the age 23 or 24.

What to do! Encourage your legislators to implement a policy where

young people are automatically enrolled in Medicaid until they are at least 21.

KEY MESSAGE TRIANGLE

Legislative Advocacy: Presenting Testimony

To: Senate Committee on JudiciaryThursday, March 21, 20132:00pm, Conference Room 325, State Capitol

From: Tiffany Tuilata, HI H.O.P.E.S. Youth Leadership Board (Oahu) Hawaii Youth Opportunities Initiative

Re: Testimony in Support of SB 1340, Relating to Foster Care 

Good afternoon Chair Hee and members of the Senate Committee on Judiciary. My name is Tiffany Tuilata and I am a member of the HI H.O.P.E.S Youth Leadership Board of the Hawaii Youth Opportunities Initiative.I would like to submit testimony in support of Senate Bill 1340 and support the intent of the voluntary foster care act, which extends the option to remain in foster care up to age 21.

I ’m 24 and I aged out of foster care while on the run. I immediately found myself homeless with no support or knowledge on the resources available. When you find yourself sleeping in public restrooms or beaches, you begin to wish you had someone you could rely on or someone who could lend a helping hand. Just thinking of where my next meal would come from or when it would be safe to sleep in the park, it isn’t a feeling that any youth should endure. As recent as a year ago, I found myself homeless with two children.

Nationally, statistics show that 24% of former foster youth will experience some form of homelessness due to the fact that they don’t have a place to stay after they age out of care and don’t have supportive adult relationships. Unfortunately, I was one of those statistics and I don’t wish any transitioning youth to experience the hardship of being without a home or a supportive adult.

In closing, I would humbly ask this committee to pass Senate Bill 1340 and give foster youth the option to receive the continued support they need to be successful adults in our community. Thank you very much.

Legislative Advocacy2) Communications and Outreach

▫Networking with legislators▫Community partnerships▫Presentations and trainings ▫Marketing and media outreach

Marketing and Communication

for Improved OutcomesYoung people identify needs and

prioritiesYoung people on the communications

teamYoung people as the ‘voice’ and ‘face’ of

strategic communications efforts

Sibling Connections Presentations to judges, social workers,

resource caregivers and public

Creation of a brochure

Filmed ‘Sibling Connections’ video

Feedback after presentationsSOCIAL WORKERS:•What can you do to help maintain sibling connections?•Share the information presented with my staff. Push SW’s to arrange for siblings connections for all cares.•Be proactive and be a voice for foster child.•Keeps communication going between siblings! Encourage caregivers of non foster custody children to allow sibling visits with sibling(s) in foster care.•We will certainly take into consideration your recommendations to place in same homes, if not possible, same districts.

JUDGES:What can you do to help maintain sibling connections?•Promise to ask questions at hearings and demand answers to ensure all efforts are made to keep siblings together. •I would address it as an important issue in court.•Talk with agencies and adoptive parents.•Make sure that at the beginning that siblings are placed together with family members. •I think it starts with awareness. I never realized how important it was for the children and how it made them feel. •I can be more active in inquiring and encouraging all parties to prioritize sibling visits.

Social Capital Presentations and trainings to judges, social

workers, National CASA convention, resource caregivers, service providers, young people, stakeholders, CP Hui, IVAT Conference

Disseminated Jim Casey Initiative issue brief on Social Capital Created Social Capital handout Filmed ‘Social Capital’ video

Voluntary Foster Care to 21: Imua Kākou

Public will and policy: outreach to DHS Director, legislative efforts

Communications Efforts:Identified VC to 21 as priority in Youth Advocacy

DocumentCreation of “Core Values” or “H.O.P.E.S.”Presentations and trainings to judges, social workers,

resource caregivers, service providers, young people, stakeholders, CP Hui

Chose name of program, “Imua Kakou”Helped conceptualize/design marketing materials,

website (imua21.org), working on social media Wrote script/filmed “Imua Kakou PSA” Participated in launch event Participated in radio, newspaper, television interviews (local and national)

Next Campaign: Medicaid to 26

•YAD priority•Outreach to DHS/Med-

Quest•Creation of handout•Presentations, video and

website being planned

Questions and Answers

Contact Delia UlimaEmail: dulima@epicohana.org

Phone: 808-748-7052For more information: www.epicohana.net