History Through Achievements
Florida Youth SHINE (FYS) is a youth run, youth driven organization with representation from across the state. Membership is open to teens and young adults between the ages of 13 and 24 who were ever in Florida's child welfare system. FYS is supported and advised by Florida's Children First (FCF) and many other caring adults, some of whom are themselves foster care alumni. Below is the history of our organization:
2005
As Florida's foster care system was privatized, many adults working within the child welfare system felt their needed to be a forum for all youth in care and aging out of the system to give feedback to those working directly within the child welfare system. Florida's Children First stepped up to the plate and offered to make this a statewide project. With the help of an already existing youth program in Miami (Miami Youth SHINE), talks quickly got underway to give a voice to those in care and aging out of the system.
In December 2005 FYS held its inaugural meeting in Deerfield Beach. This meeting provided an opportunity for former foster youth from across the state to come together to explore their common experiences, both good and bad, within Florida’s foster care system. After learning together throughout the weekend and with the help of members from California Youth Connection, those in attendance identified an incredible value in uniting together to improve Florida’s foster care system for others. This was the first step towards creating Florida Youth SHINE!
2006
As 2006 kicked off, FYS continued to organize our efforts and focused on developing our common purpose, vision, and mission for the work we were about to embark on. We began to share our stories with members of the Florida House of Representatives and were quickly invited to Tallahassee to share our experiences and offer thoughts on potential improvements that could be made within the foster care system. We honed our skills addressing legislators we spoke passionately about continuing Medicaid for transitioning foster youth, creating transitional living experiences for youth aging out of care, the value of both the Guardian ad Litem and Attorney ad Litem programs, and the need for improvement in the Independent Living program. As the year came to an end, FYS members were being asked to participate in opportunities to expand the reach of the work we had begun by serving as members of the Florida Team at the National Governor’s Association Public Policy Academy on Transitioning Youth, presenting at the Annual Meeting of the Neighborhood Lending Partnerships, and appearing at the first statewide Children’s Summit.
2007
After selecting policy issues that were important to our cause, FYS members continued to focus our efforts on creating change within the foster care system. So, we headed back to Tallahassee to participate in our first Children’s Week. There we continued to educate legislative committees on the needs of youth in care and spoke to members of the media about our cause. We even had the opportunity to meet with then Secretary of the Department of Children and Families, Bob Butterworth, and begin an incredibly partnership with many members of DCF. In 2007 FYS members saw their hard work pay off for the very first time when 3 of the bills we worked hard to support were signed into law by Governor Crist.
-Independent Living Bill (SB 2114) impacted several existing laws including: Medicaid coverage to all youth aging out of care to age 21, new means for youth to open bank accounts and obtain driver’s licenses, and expanded eligibility for the Road to Independence.
-Keeping Children Safe Act (FL Statute 39.0139) protects youth from unsupervised visits with parents or caregivers accused of sexually abusing them.
-Children and Youth Cabinet Act (FL Statute 402.56) bringing together the head of every state department touching the lives of children with a mandate to hold public meetings and create improved and child focused public policy for children and youth.
Though the fourth bill we worked on didn’t make it through the legislative session this year, our work with Secretary Butterworth paid off in the creation of DCF’s “Rights and Expectations for Children and Youth in Shelter or Foster Care” pamphlet. FYS members learned quickly that there was more than one way to accomplish a major goal!
2007 also brought FYS members the opportunity to speak with members of DCF’s Senior Management and Governor Crist, as well as train DCF and CBC staff on topics including: accountability of DCF, CBC’s, and foster parents; the need for the youth’s voice to be heard; and youth knowing their rights. This resulted in an FYS member being appointed to the Task Force on Child Protection.
FYS also presented at The Florida Bar Committee on Legal Needs of Children Forum on Mental Health and openly discussed the overuse of psychotropic medication on youth in care. Our thoughts, along with recommendations from Florida’s Children First were adopted by Judge Leifman in his report to the Supreme Court and the Florida Legislature. This also led to FYS members appearing before the Supreme Court Subcommittee on Transitioning Youth Issues of the Families and Children in Court Committee and Committee on Families and Children in the Courts where we made additional recommendations on improving the systems oversight of youth in care.
FYS members led a workshop on independent living at the Dependency Court Improvement Summit. While other members worked with adult supporters and allies to provide the questions and answers for FCF’s FAQ Frequently Asked Questions For Foster Youth Transitioning To Adulthood which continues to be distributed to youth today.
2008
FYS began 2008 right where 2007 left off. We continued to actively educate key policy makers and organizations throughout Florida on key issues youth in foster care are faced with. We made presentations to participants at DCF’s Special Project on Foster Parent Recruitment and Retention as well as the Committee on Healthy Families and the Children and Youth Cabinet and attended FCF’s Fostering Success public policy seminar. We devoted time to reaching out to other organizations and committees dedicated to similar child welfare issues including: Independent Living Advisory Council, Youth Law Center, CBC’s throughout the state, and the Casey Foundation to name a few.
FYS made another powerful appearance at Children’s Week in Tallahassee where we played an instrumental role in protecting seven million dollars in independent living funding. We also had an opportunity to meet with: the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and chair of the Families and Children in the Courts Steering Committee, the Secretary of DCF, and many members of Florida’s legislator. In addition, FYS members were honored to train attorneys at DCF on the importance of youth being heard in dependency court (and wherever decisions about their needs are being made).
As a partner with the American Bar Associations Bar-Youth Empowerment Project and FCF, FYS participated in and made recommendations to the Hearing Your Voice: A Guide to Your Dependency Court Case brochure which was released in late 2008.
2009
We began 2009 adding to the work we started with the ABA’s Bar-Youth Empowerment Project and FCF with the release of the On Your Own, But Not Alone: Handbook to Empower Florida Youth Leaving Foster Care handbook. Members of FYS also worked closely with FCF Deputy Director, Robin Rosenberg, to produce training material on the need for youth in court.
During the spring of 2009, FYS spent quite a bit of time educating Florida’s legislator on two very important bills to foster youth in care and were proudly standing beside Governor Crist when they were signed into law.
- Right to an Education (SB 1128) removes barriers to school enrollment, clarifies who can make education decisions for foster children and assures the appointment of surrogate parents for children with disabilities.
-Right to Records (SB 126) provides current and former foster youth and their caregivers with better access to records.
In addition, we spoke frequently about the importance of the Guardian ad Litem program and worked hard to prevent major funding cuts.
2009 brought the departure of FCF’s Executive Director and lead FYS mentor and advocate Andrea Moore. Andrea played a pivotal role in FYS’s history from the very beginning and we were incredibly sad to see her go. FYS members soon met new FCF Executive Director, Christina Spudeas, and FYS Youth Coordinator, Lindsay Baach. Both Christina and Lindsay quickly jumped in and focused on the growing needs of Florida Youth SHINE’s future.
In 2009, FYS also played a large role in Children’s Week at the Capital and sent our largest contingency ever to DCF’s Youth Dependency Summit in Orlando. FYS board members also finalized our governing documents, including out bylaws, and proudly opened our membership to include youth in care as well as those who have already aged out. This marked a milestone in FYS history and current members are actively seeking youth in care to join our cause.
2010
2010 served as a record breaking year for Florida Youth SHINE. FYS members made quite an impression on our legislators during committee weeks and session, traveling to Tallahassee several times to speak about the importance of legal representation for youth in care - a topic FYS feels very passionately about.
As session neared an end, FYS members traveled to Tallahassee together for Children's Week and spoke with over 20 legislators on the importance of the Road to Independence stipend for former foster youth 18-23 who are in school full time (even engaging in a letter writing campaign to protect this funding prior to traveling to the capital). During this trip, FYS members had the opportunity to testify in front a Senate committee on the need for legislation regulating the use of psychotropic medications in children. FYS member also had the opportunity to engage youth attending Children's Week in an advocacy workshop training over 40 youth from across Florida on the importance of advocating for their rights, how to speak to law makers, and how to tell their story. FYS had so much fun sharing their passion with others.
Over the summer, FYS has updated many of our working documents (including launching our very own website) and participated in the Department of Children and Families Dependency Summit in August. Several FYS members participated in a panel discussion regarding the trauma of removal in a workshop titled: "So you came to take us away, now what?" FYS members were also part of the court employees training session and shared their views on the importance of the youth presence in Dependency Court.
Florida Youth SHINE expanded its workforce hiring Justin Taylor (former foster youth and FYS member) as an Assistant Youth Coordinator working to expand our programs in Northeast Florida. FYS also welcomed five new chapters in 2010: Broward, Hillsborough Kids Inc. Youth Empowerment Board (Tampa), Pinellas/Pasco County, ManaSota (serving Manatee, DeSoto, and Sarasota counties), and Made by Us (Tallahassee).
FYS had members proudly serving on the State of Florida's Fostering Success Task Force, Independent Living Re-Design Committee, the Youth Dependency Summit’s Planning Committee, Independent Living Services Advisory Council, and many more committees in their local communities.
2011
We got off to a quick start in 2011 welcoming three new chapters (in Pensacola/Circuit 1, Vero Beach, and Orlando) bringing our chapter total to 11 and a membership total over 120 teens and young adults from across the state. We couldn’t be more proud of how quickly we’ve grown in the past year and how great our impact has become in so many communities across the state.
In 2011, our members consulted with the Department of Children and Families on the Independent Living Re-Design bill prior to it entering the legislative process. We continued to advocate on behalf of the bill as it made its way through both House and Senate committees. All of our members learned quite a bit about the ups and downs of the legislative process in 2011 and will look to learn more in 2012 as the Independent Living Redesign looks to be refilled as it didn’t pass this year.
Over 20 of our members had the honor of meeting with Secretary David Wilkins during his first week on the job and introducing him to the Florida Youth SHINE program. We look forward to continuing our positive relationship with the Department of Children and Families under Secretary Wilkins as he strives to continue the work of those who came before him.
In May we had the opportunity to train over 400 child welfare employees on the Trauma of Removal in Port St. Lucie during the Circuit 19 Dependency Summit. FYS members also had the opportunity to work with over 100 foster and adopted teens at the FSFAPA Nex Gen Conference in June where we presented workshops on the importance of advocacy, the trauma of removal, and normalcy.
In June we elected a new Statewide Board to see guide us for the next year:
Statewide Chair: Jesse Wilson (Jacksonville)
1st Vice Chair of Membership: Brian Smith (Pensacola)
2nd vice Chair of Legislation: April White (Pinellas/Pasco)
Fundraising Co-Chairs: Danielle McMahan (Hillsborough) & Manny Oliver (Palm Beach)
Secretary: David Gagne (Broward)
In addition to our new leadership we also have members serving on the Independent Living Services Advisory Council (ILSAC), DCF’s Barahona Advisory Council, DCF’s Pathways to Independence planning committee, and Circuit 19's Model Court Initiative.
Issues we still work to improve include:
- Ensuring normalcy and permanency for all youth in care
- Assuring youth are present at court hearings
- Providing youth access to their personal records and documents
- Helping youth know rights and responsibilities
- Supporting accountability, quality assurance & measurable outcomes for foster youth programs
- Paying attention to mental health issues, including the use of psychotropic medications
- Improving licensing and inspect placements
- Enforcing/encouraging sibling visitation
- Making sure youth receive their allowance
- Improving life skills training and funding of the Independent Living program
- Providing lawyers for youth in care
- Youth’s right to an education
2005
As Florida's foster care system was privatized, many adults working within the child welfare system felt their needed to be a forum for all youth in care and aging out of the system to give feedback to those working directly within the child welfare system. Florida's Children First stepped up to the plate and offered to make this a statewide project. With the help of an already existing youth program in Miami (Miami Youth SHINE), talks quickly got underway to give a voice to those in care and aging out of the system.
In December 2005 FYS held its inaugural meeting in Deerfield Beach. This meeting provided an opportunity for former foster youth from across the state to come together to explore their common experiences, both good and bad, within Florida’s foster care system. After learning together throughout the weekend and with the help of members from California Youth Connection, those in attendance identified an incredible value in uniting together to improve Florida’s foster care system for others. This was the first step towards creating Florida Youth SHINE!
2006
As 2006 kicked off, FYS continued to organize our efforts and focused on developing our common purpose, vision, and mission for the work we were about to embark on. We began to share our stories with members of the Florida House of Representatives and were quickly invited to Tallahassee to share our experiences and offer thoughts on potential improvements that could be made within the foster care system. We honed our skills addressing legislators we spoke passionately about continuing Medicaid for transitioning foster youth, creating transitional living experiences for youth aging out of care, the value of both the Guardian ad Litem and Attorney ad Litem programs, and the need for improvement in the Independent Living program. As the year came to an end, FYS members were being asked to participate in opportunities to expand the reach of the work we had begun by serving as members of the Florida Team at the National Governor’s Association Public Policy Academy on Transitioning Youth, presenting at the Annual Meeting of the Neighborhood Lending Partnerships, and appearing at the first statewide Children’s Summit.
2007
After selecting policy issues that were important to our cause, FYS members continued to focus our efforts on creating change within the foster care system. So, we headed back to Tallahassee to participate in our first Children’s Week. There we continued to educate legislative committees on the needs of youth in care and spoke to members of the media about our cause. We even had the opportunity to meet with then Secretary of the Department of Children and Families, Bob Butterworth, and begin an incredibly partnership with many members of DCF. In 2007 FYS members saw their hard work pay off for the very first time when 3 of the bills we worked hard to support were signed into law by Governor Crist.
-Independent Living Bill (SB 2114) impacted several existing laws including: Medicaid coverage to all youth aging out of care to age 21, new means for youth to open bank accounts and obtain driver’s licenses, and expanded eligibility for the Road to Independence.
-Keeping Children Safe Act (FL Statute 39.0139) protects youth from unsupervised visits with parents or caregivers accused of sexually abusing them.
-Children and Youth Cabinet Act (FL Statute 402.56) bringing together the head of every state department touching the lives of children with a mandate to hold public meetings and create improved and child focused public policy for children and youth.
Though the fourth bill we worked on didn’t make it through the legislative session this year, our work with Secretary Butterworth paid off in the creation of DCF’s “Rights and Expectations for Children and Youth in Shelter or Foster Care” pamphlet. FYS members learned quickly that there was more than one way to accomplish a major goal!
2007 also brought FYS members the opportunity to speak with members of DCF’s Senior Management and Governor Crist, as well as train DCF and CBC staff on topics including: accountability of DCF, CBC’s, and foster parents; the need for the youth’s voice to be heard; and youth knowing their rights. This resulted in an FYS member being appointed to the Task Force on Child Protection.
FYS also presented at The Florida Bar Committee on Legal Needs of Children Forum on Mental Health and openly discussed the overuse of psychotropic medication on youth in care. Our thoughts, along with recommendations from Florida’s Children First were adopted by Judge Leifman in his report to the Supreme Court and the Florida Legislature. This also led to FYS members appearing before the Supreme Court Subcommittee on Transitioning Youth Issues of the Families and Children in Court Committee and Committee on Families and Children in the Courts where we made additional recommendations on improving the systems oversight of youth in care.
FYS members led a workshop on independent living at the Dependency Court Improvement Summit. While other members worked with adult supporters and allies to provide the questions and answers for FCF’s FAQ Frequently Asked Questions For Foster Youth Transitioning To Adulthood which continues to be distributed to youth today.
2008
FYS began 2008 right where 2007 left off. We continued to actively educate key policy makers and organizations throughout Florida on key issues youth in foster care are faced with. We made presentations to participants at DCF’s Special Project on Foster Parent Recruitment and Retention as well as the Committee on Healthy Families and the Children and Youth Cabinet and attended FCF’s Fostering Success public policy seminar. We devoted time to reaching out to other organizations and committees dedicated to similar child welfare issues including: Independent Living Advisory Council, Youth Law Center, CBC’s throughout the state, and the Casey Foundation to name a few.
FYS made another powerful appearance at Children’s Week in Tallahassee where we played an instrumental role in protecting seven million dollars in independent living funding. We also had an opportunity to meet with: the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and chair of the Families and Children in the Courts Steering Committee, the Secretary of DCF, and many members of Florida’s legislator. In addition, FYS members were honored to train attorneys at DCF on the importance of youth being heard in dependency court (and wherever decisions about their needs are being made).
As a partner with the American Bar Associations Bar-Youth Empowerment Project and FCF, FYS participated in and made recommendations to the Hearing Your Voice: A Guide to Your Dependency Court Case brochure which was released in late 2008.
2009
We began 2009 adding to the work we started with the ABA’s Bar-Youth Empowerment Project and FCF with the release of the On Your Own, But Not Alone: Handbook to Empower Florida Youth Leaving Foster Care handbook. Members of FYS also worked closely with FCF Deputy Director, Robin Rosenberg, to produce training material on the need for youth in court.
During the spring of 2009, FYS spent quite a bit of time educating Florida’s legislator on two very important bills to foster youth in care and were proudly standing beside Governor Crist when they were signed into law.
- Right to an Education (SB 1128) removes barriers to school enrollment, clarifies who can make education decisions for foster children and assures the appointment of surrogate parents for children with disabilities.
-Right to Records (SB 126) provides current and former foster youth and their caregivers with better access to records.
In addition, we spoke frequently about the importance of the Guardian ad Litem program and worked hard to prevent major funding cuts.
2009 brought the departure of FCF’s Executive Director and lead FYS mentor and advocate Andrea Moore. Andrea played a pivotal role in FYS’s history from the very beginning and we were incredibly sad to see her go. FYS members soon met new FCF Executive Director, Christina Spudeas, and FYS Youth Coordinator, Lindsay Baach. Both Christina and Lindsay quickly jumped in and focused on the growing needs of Florida Youth SHINE’s future.
In 2009, FYS also played a large role in Children’s Week at the Capital and sent our largest contingency ever to DCF’s Youth Dependency Summit in Orlando. FYS board members also finalized our governing documents, including out bylaws, and proudly opened our membership to include youth in care as well as those who have already aged out. This marked a milestone in FYS history and current members are actively seeking youth in care to join our cause.
2010
2010 served as a record breaking year for Florida Youth SHINE. FYS members made quite an impression on our legislators during committee weeks and session, traveling to Tallahassee several times to speak about the importance of legal representation for youth in care - a topic FYS feels very passionately about.
As session neared an end, FYS members traveled to Tallahassee together for Children's Week and spoke with over 20 legislators on the importance of the Road to Independence stipend for former foster youth 18-23 who are in school full time (even engaging in a letter writing campaign to protect this funding prior to traveling to the capital). During this trip, FYS members had the opportunity to testify in front a Senate committee on the need for legislation regulating the use of psychotropic medications in children. FYS member also had the opportunity to engage youth attending Children's Week in an advocacy workshop training over 40 youth from across Florida on the importance of advocating for their rights, how to speak to law makers, and how to tell their story. FYS had so much fun sharing their passion with others.
Over the summer, FYS has updated many of our working documents (including launching our very own website) and participated in the Department of Children and Families Dependency Summit in August. Several FYS members participated in a panel discussion regarding the trauma of removal in a workshop titled: "So you came to take us away, now what?" FYS members were also part of the court employees training session and shared their views on the importance of the youth presence in Dependency Court.
Florida Youth SHINE expanded its workforce hiring Justin Taylor (former foster youth and FYS member) as an Assistant Youth Coordinator working to expand our programs in Northeast Florida. FYS also welcomed five new chapters in 2010: Broward, Hillsborough Kids Inc. Youth Empowerment Board (Tampa), Pinellas/Pasco County, ManaSota (serving Manatee, DeSoto, and Sarasota counties), and Made by Us (Tallahassee).
FYS had members proudly serving on the State of Florida's Fostering Success Task Force, Independent Living Re-Design Committee, the Youth Dependency Summit’s Planning Committee, Independent Living Services Advisory Council, and many more committees in their local communities.
2011
We got off to a quick start in 2011 welcoming three new chapters (in Pensacola/Circuit 1, Vero Beach, and Orlando) bringing our chapter total to 11 and a membership total over 120 teens and young adults from across the state. We couldn’t be more proud of how quickly we’ve grown in the past year and how great our impact has become in so many communities across the state.
In 2011, our members consulted with the Department of Children and Families on the Independent Living Re-Design bill prior to it entering the legislative process. We continued to advocate on behalf of the bill as it made its way through both House and Senate committees. All of our members learned quite a bit about the ups and downs of the legislative process in 2011 and will look to learn more in 2012 as the Independent Living Redesign looks to be refilled as it didn’t pass this year.
Over 20 of our members had the honor of meeting with Secretary David Wilkins during his first week on the job and introducing him to the Florida Youth SHINE program. We look forward to continuing our positive relationship with the Department of Children and Families under Secretary Wilkins as he strives to continue the work of those who came before him.
In May we had the opportunity to train over 400 child welfare employees on the Trauma of Removal in Port St. Lucie during the Circuit 19 Dependency Summit. FYS members also had the opportunity to work with over 100 foster and adopted teens at the FSFAPA Nex Gen Conference in June where we presented workshops on the importance of advocacy, the trauma of removal, and normalcy.
In June we elected a new Statewide Board to see guide us for the next year:
Statewide Chair: Jesse Wilson (Jacksonville)
1st Vice Chair of Membership: Brian Smith (Pensacola)
2nd vice Chair of Legislation: April White (Pinellas/Pasco)
Fundraising Co-Chairs: Danielle McMahan (Hillsborough) & Manny Oliver (Palm Beach)
Secretary: David Gagne (Broward)
In addition to our new leadership we also have members serving on the Independent Living Services Advisory Council (ILSAC), DCF’s Barahona Advisory Council, DCF’s Pathways to Independence planning committee, and Circuit 19's Model Court Initiative.
Issues we still work to improve include:
- Ensuring normalcy and permanency for all youth in care
- Assuring youth are present at court hearings
- Providing youth access to their personal records and documents
- Helping youth know rights and responsibilities
- Supporting accountability, quality assurance & measurable outcomes for foster youth programs
- Paying attention to mental health issues, including the use of psychotropic medications
- Improving licensing and inspect placements
- Enforcing/encouraging sibling visitation
- Making sure youth receive their allowance
- Improving life skills training and funding of the Independent Living program
- Providing lawyers for youth in care
- Youth’s right to an education
