The document summarizes the agenda and goals for the Ohio Youth Advisory Board meeting on January 15, 2015. The board will discuss plans for 2015, including expanding outreach, promoting youth voice in policy and court proceedings, addressing issues in housing, education, workforce and independent living, and continuing mentoring initiatives. Officers for 2015 are also listed.

1. Ohio Youth Advisory Board
Thursday, January 15, 2015
at Quest Business Center:
8405 Pulsar Place, Columbus OH 43240

2. • We exist to be the knowledgeable statewide
voice that influences policies and practices
that effect all youth who have or will
experience out of home care.
OHIO YAB Mission

3. 2015 Ohio YAB Officers
• President Alissa Mitchell, Stark County
• Co-Vice President Violet Ramunni, Summit County
• Co-Vice President Dominique Jefferson, Cuyahoga County
• Media Spokesperson Michael Bolwaire, Cuyahoga County
• Treasurer Nathan Springs, Franklin County
• Parliamentarian Samuel King, Franklin County
• Secretary Damahri Carter, Franklin County

4. OHIO YAB Officers Retreat

5. OYAB Moving Forward in 2015:
Outreach and Policy
1. Develop and share OHIO YAB
outreach materials so that youth
advisory board involvement can be
promoted throughout the state.
2. Continue to ensure that youth voice
is included in statewide discussions
of policy and practice.
3. Focus on outreach, in order to
promote the establishment and
ongoing development of county and
regional youth advisory boards.

7. OYAB Moving Forward in 2015:
Housing
1. Work with local and statewide partners to create the
housing tools requested by youth in 2014.
2. Support the establishment of new transitional housing
options, and promote youth awareness of existing
resources.
3. Recommend that ODJFS develop a transition plan that is
specifically for housing, and includes a Plan B in case the
first option falls through.
4. Raise awareness that foster care youth who emancipate
from foster care without a savings account are likely to
age out directly into homelessness.

8. OYAB Moving Forward in 2015:
Education
1. Identify and develop a pool of foster care alumni to
serve as spokespeople to encourage today’s teens to
consider post-secondary education, and create a list of
panel questions that can be used in conferences.
2. Meet with the Ohio Department of Education and
develop a vision for foster youth to graduate high school
and go to college.
3. Work with partners to follow up on youth
recommendations to improve educational outcomes.
4. Promote best practices for custodial agencies to support
foster care youth and alumni’s educational success.
5. Expand focus to include a high school pilot project.

9. OYAB Moving Forward in 2015:
Youth Voice in Court
1. Partner with Ohio CASA to
develop and promote tools to
support youth voice in court.
2. Explore ways to better inform
and empower youth to
understand and navigate the
court system.

10. OYAB Moving Forward in 2015:
Independent Living, Part 1
1. Ensure youth voice on the
development of a future statewide
independent living curriculum to
ensure that it:
- includes hands-on activities
- begins with a pilot
- includes youth feedback
throughout the process
- allows agencies to customize the
order in which material is provided
according to the immediate needs of
youth

11. OYAB Moving Forward in 2015:
Independent Living, Part 2
2. Advocate for youth to be allowed to begin
independent living preparation as early as age 13, and
for emancipated youth to be allowed to return for
refresher courses.
3. Seek partners to assist in the creation of an online
Independent Living Clearinghouse to share resources to
help youth during their transition to adulthood.
4. Advocate for a review of how training related to IL is
delivered to foster parents and caseworkers and
experienced by youth.

12. OYAB Moving Forward in 2015:
Workforce
1. Explore the possibility of
Individual Development
Accounts (IDAs) as a resource
for emancipating youth.
2. Seek to overcome barriers for
teens in foster care establishing
a savings account.

13. OYAB Moving Forward in 2015:
Ohio YAB Initiatives
1. Continue to develop
and seek to pilot the
three-tiered
mentoring model.
2. Seek partners to
continue to develop
the Ohio Pride
initiative.

14. Brainstorming Topics
1. Normalcy and/or Youth Voice in Case Plan:
2. Mind Matters Materials
3. Housing
4. Future OHIO YAB instagram and video
messages

15. Lunchtime Activity:
Qualities needed in a mentor

16. New and Good:
Because the challenge of the moment
is the opportunity of the future