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California Youth Connection
by: Theresa Carmody


Introduction
California Youth Connection (CYC) is an advocacy organization for and by current and former foster youth, ages 14-24, of California. CYC is divided up among chapters which are headed by each individual county throughout the state. CYC was developed as an outgrowth of California Independent Living Programs and is modeled after the Canadian Youth In Care Network, which featured strong localized efforts to organize foster youth to advocate for their rights. The first CYC chapters began meeting in 1988. The statewide office opened in 1995 to increase communication and coordinate advocacy efforts among the local chapters. There are 20 current chapters throughout the state of California. CYC gives the foster youth a voice.

Statement of Need
California Youth Connection promotes the participation of foster youth in policy development and legislative change in an effort to improve the foster care system and strives to forge collaborations with decision makers to improve social work practice and child welfare policies.


Description of the Intervention
My intentions for this community project were to get the foster care youth of Glenn County more involved in CYC, by setting up our own local chapter. Prior to beginning to set up the Glenn County's CYC Chapter, I had to go through an introduction and training to be certified to be a CYC Adult Supporter. This prepared me for how to go about setting up a local chapter, how to conduct our meetings, and the best way that I could encourage the members to work towards what they believed in. I was there to support them and guide them, but CYC is all about the foster youth and the meetings were theirs to run. I was just there for guidance. When I set out to start the local chapter, I had ten youths on the list . I sent out surveys to see how many of the ten would be interested in starting a local chapter of our own. Almost everyone responded to the survey, so with that, I set up our first CYC local chapter's meeting. Glenn County is a participant of CYC, but at the present, they only attend the statewide conferences and other annual meetings that CYC puts on. I felt that CYC played a very important part in the foster youth of California and with more active members, I thought that we could make more of an impact on the policy makers and towards legislation that CYC lobbies for and against.

Evaluation of the Intervention
However, since Glenn County is such a small community, there weren't that many youth who were interested in a local chapter. When we had our first meeting, only three out of the possible ten showed up. The three that were there, were there because they lived in the home where we had our first meeting. We scheduled another meeting, but it fell through due to conflicts in schedules and we never got together again. I contacted the statewide office to see what they wanted me to do about getting the youth involved. They offered to come up here from San Francisco to talk to the youth, but with only three showing up at the first meeting, I didn't see it to be plausible. I have been trained to be a CYC Adult Supporter, but I will be leaving the agency and the area and there is no one to take over my duties. This was the problem that we had in the beginning, going into all of this, but we were hopeful that someone would want to continue where I left off. However, we have not been successful in finding anyone yet. I think that with an effort of just one person, Glenn County will be able to get where they should be in a local chapter. The statewide office is more than willing to do what they can to get the youth interested, all we need is one leader to help these foster youth come together.

Reflections on the Project
I found this project to be worth while and I hope to continue working with foster youth, so that I may be able to work with CYC again. I think their organization is a great one and gives the foster youth of California the voice that they so desperately need to improve their lives and the lives of those who are coming up in the system. CYC has played an important part in passing several bills that helped the lives of foster youth throughout the state. I stand behind CYC and what they hope to accomplish. As for our local chapter, it never got off the ground. I believe that if there is someone who is out there who is willing to put their time and effort into these youth, they will get farther than I was able to in the short time that I had. My problem was that I will be leaving the area after graduation and my time was limited. However, if I was going to stay, CYC would be up and running in Glenn County. So, my plea to you is to help Glenn County CYC get off the ground and up and running.

References
Web
http://www.calyouthconn.org -- This is the California Youth Connection's website address. I know that you will find it very helpful.

http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/5401/foster14.html

http://www.fosterparents.com/index80fosteryouth.html

Bibliography
From Indenture to Family Foster Care: A Brief History of Child Placing. Jan-Feb 1995. Child Welfare.

Barth, R.P., Courtney, M.E. Pathways to Older Adolescents Out of Foster Care. (Jan 1996). Social Work.

Bathen, S. California's Lost Children. (Dec. 1997). California Journal.

Fisher, R.H., McMillen, J.C., Rideout, G.B., & Tucker, J. Independent-Living Services: The Views of Former Foster Youth. (Sept-Oct 1997). Families in Society: The Journal of Contemporary Human Services.

George, R., Harden, A., & Wulczyn, F. New Comparative Insights into States and Their Foster Children. (Summer 1996). Public Welfare.

Interviews
CYC Statewide Coordinator
Two CYC Adult Supporters
Two CYC Members
A former Assemblyman who had direct knowledge of CYC

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