2019 OHIO Youth Advisory Board Officers Retreat

1. Ohio YAB Officers Retreat
Saturday, August 17, 2019
716 Airyshire Blvd., Suite 100,
Columbus, OH 43235

2. OHIO YAB Retreat Schedule
10:00 am, Welcome, Introductions and OHIO YAB Mission
10:15 am, OHIO YAB Code of Conduct
10:30 am, Oath of Office
11:00 am, Group Brainstorming
BREAK for LUNCH
1:00 pm, Group Brainstorming Continues
2:00 pm, OHIO Youth Service Project Idea
3:00 pm, Departure

3. • 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

4. Professionalism
Flip Chart:
How do YOU want the
OHIO Youth Advisory Board
(and foster youth in general)
to be represented by officer
professionalism?

5. FACEBOOK MANNERS

6. Social media
Flip Chart:
How do YOU want the
OHIO Youth Advisory Board
(and foster youth in general)
to be represented on social media?

7. Social media
 Don’t post anything about your employer unless
you are sure that it is your company policy.
 Don’t post photos that are inappropriate.
Although your profile may be private, there is
always a way that information can be accessed
by others.
 Don’t accept those that you don’t know.
 Don’t take it personally if recruiters or HR
professionals from organizations do not accept
you as connections…they may draw a line with
candidates.
 Don’t post any updates that you are not
comfortable with all future employers seeing.
 Post any inaccurate information about prior jobs.
Consider this to be a public resume and ensure
that everything can be validated.
 Reach out to someone you don’t know and use
a mutual connections name without checking
with them first.
 Ensure that your Facebook page is private.
Often times your profile is set up so that friends
within friends or group members can see your
information.
 Scrutinize what you and your friends post
on your pages.
Consider modifying your settings so that you have to
approve posts. You never know what someone is
going to write on YOUR wall.
 Google yourself.
Make sure that the results that come back are
favorable. If they aren’t go through the process to
try to get these removed. You want to make sure
that your first impression is as positive as possible.
 Manage pictures and tags.
Pictures say a thousand words. Ensure that your
pictures communicate an image that you what you
want to say.
 Get involved with media.
Newspapers, magazines, local TV is a great way to
be positively exposed. It always sounds like a good
idea to be interviewed by the local news, just make
sure the topic is neutral.

8. Duties of the President
• Must be an impartial judge of
the abilities of others and
empower them to contribute
• Keeps informed of members’
progress and ensures that the
board keeps moving forward
• Never interjects personal
opinions or dominates the
meeting

9. Duties of the Vice President
• Presides at meetings and
other functions in the
absence of the president.
• Must be well informed of
the issues and skilled in
handling the board’s
business.
• Must be prepared to
assume the office of
President when necessary.

10. Duties of the Media
Spokesperson
• Develops news releases related to the Board and distributes
them to the media after fellow Officers approve the wording.
• Includes the “who, what, when, where, why and how,” and a
description of the activity and how it impacts the community.

11. Duties of the Secretary
• Takes minutes during
each statewide meeting
• Takes minutes during
each officer call
• Assists in developing
agendas for OHIO YAB
meetings and phone calls

12. Duties of the Parliamentarian
The Referee of Youth Advocacy:
• Helps keep the peace
• Helps make sure Board members
and Officers listen to one another
• Brings issues to a satisfactory
conclusion when sending that it is
dragging or being monopolized

13. Duties of the Treasurer
• Assist in developing the budget
• Keeps track of board expenses
• Assists in fundraising for the OHIO YAB

14. Oath of Office
• I (STATE YOUR NAME), hereby on my own accord and conscience
am prepared to take the oath of office for the OHIO Youth Advisory
Board.
• I pledge and/or promise to uphold the constitution, bylaws and
governing rules of the Ohio Youth Advisory Board until such time
that I am no longer an officer of the board.
• I pledge and/or promise to fulfill the duties of the office of (STATE
YOUR OFFICE) to the best of my ability.
• I also pledge/or promise, to the best of my ability, to advocate,
defend, and promote the ideals and general welfare of all foster,
transition, and independent youth for the State of OHIO.

15. OHIO YAB Grant
Deliverables
• To design a transportation pilot, likely in
Cleveland, that maps out a hub approach to
ensure youth transportation statewide OHIO
YAB meetings
• To plan and orchestrate one or more regional
Youth Leadership Conferences.

16. Housing Needs and
Opportunities
• Continuing our work to create youth-driven
transitional housing options for former foster
youth:
– FYI Implementation
– Fostering Stable Housing Opportunities Act
• Designing a logo to illustrate the foster care to
homeless pipeline.

17. Foster Care
Ombudsman
The role of a Foster Care Ombudsman in other states is to:
- Make sure that foster youth are being protected and
receiving the services they need (and also it might be nice
for Ohio foster youth not to be over-medicated)
- Provide a toll-free number that foster youth can call to
express their specific needs and concerns, and then to
follow up by making an independent investigation
Ohio doesn’t have one yet. Also: What if foster parents could
call in and advocate for foster youth as well – especially for
sibling or medication issues?

18. Training Foster Parents and
Caseworkers to Serve Teens
Here in Ohio:
- Foster parents who serve teens are NOT
required to take any specific classes related to:
(a.) teen development, (b.) resources available to
teens who age out of foster care, to help them in
their journey into young adulthood
- Neither are caseworkers.