NH DCYF Youth Advisory Board (YAB)
The NH DCYF YAB is made up of teens in out of home care between the ages of fourteen and twenty-one.
Now is a great time for your voice to be heard!
The mission of the NH DCYF Youth Voices Advisory Board is:
To strive to advocate, work together in fellowship, collaborate with various agencies, and ensure an environment of inclusion to provide an outlet for positive growth in the future for all youth in care.
The board takes on a variety of initiatives aimed at improving the lives of youth in care. Past achievements include:
- The Tuition Waiver Program for Foster and Adopted Children
- The Bill of Rights for NH Youth in care
- Annual Youth Voices Summit
How do I join?
It's simple! Just contact the adolescent worker in your geographic area or have your DCYF worker contact them. You can also email program coordinator Beth Nee, whose contact information is below.
New members are always welcomed, we encourage all youth to come to at least one meeting, and you are not bound to return in the future. We do encourage you to come back as often as you would like because without your voice we cannot change things for the better!
Also check us out on Facebook.com/NHYouthVoices.
Youth Speakers Bureau
The Youth Speakers Bureau is a committee of the NH Youth Voices Youth Advisory Board. The youth that participate are current and former youth in care who are motivated, responsible, and committed to positively influence and change or improve current adolescent practice. All members of the bureau receive training and support in Strategic Sharing.
The purpose of this group is to have youth actively engaged in DCYF. They can do this in a number of different ways:
- Panelists as subject matter experts
- Presenters, trainers, facilitators
- Consultants with staff and
- Facilitate meetings with other youth
Our youth are a valuable asset and we can benefit greatly from their knowledge and firsthand experience. We believe that having this Youth Speakers Bureau helps strengthen youth engagement and ensure that we as an agency are incorporating family voice/family choice into our everyday practice.