Thursday, January 16, 2020

My 2020 Advocacy Goal is Persistence


The primary definition of persistence is: "A firm or obstinate continuance in a course of action in spite of difficulty or opposition."

Let's keep on being persistent about the things that matter.

Persistence can also refer to: "Continuing to exist or endure over a prolonged period."

Such is the case when it comes to the voices of Ohio foster care youth and alumni from 2006 - current.

Sunday, January 12, 2020

Columbus Foster Care Forum, during which 11 foster care alumni were able to share testimony

Click to enlarge picture, and visit this link for more photos

Foster care alumna and Children Services Transformation Advisory Council member Juliana Barton was able to work with amazing allies at CSCC and the Council in order to hold a dinner/pre-meet before the Columbus Foster Care Forum. This provided a personalized opportunity for participants of Columbus State’s Scholar Network for former foster youth to share their insights with the Council.

Office of Children Services Transformation Director Kristi Burre and Policy Manager Kari Akins made it possible for participating foster care alumni to fill out testimony slips ahead of time. As a result, 10 foster care alumni were able to share testimony during the Columbus Foster Care Forum. (Eleven, if you count Cloe reading mine, because I was able to take photos, but my voice was gone. I remain deeply grateful to CloƩ Cooper for reading my testimony aloud during the forum and being my voice).



Kristi Burre started off the forum by stating that, “This evaluation of our system is a long time coming and we know there’s a lot of work to do.” She explained how an Executive Order by Governor Mike DeWine (who is a long-time champion of Ohio foster care youth/alumni) led to the creation of the Council.

 Just as in his former role as Attorney General,
DeWine held a series of Child Safety Summits, in his current role as Governor, he directed the council to host a series of forums: “All are invited to attend, and those with lived-experience with the foster care system are encouraged to submit testimony.”

This was one of ten Foster Care Forums facilitated by the council.


It was great to hear from foster care allies as well.