The Top 24 Under 24 Youth Changemakers is a project ofSparkAction and the Campaign for a Presidential Youth Council. This profile was reprinted with permission. We are highlighting the young leaders that have overcome very challenging lives to provide strong leadership in their communities and on important issues.  Wilton, a former foster youth who currently lives in a transitionalRead More

The Top 24 Under 24 Youth Changemakers is a project of SparkAction and the Campaign for a Presidential Youth Council. This profile was reprinted with permission. These young people are so inspiring that we’ll be reprinting several of the short essays over the next six weeks. Sixto Cancel grew up in Connecticut in several foster homes. DespiteRead More

This post was originally published by Campaign for Youth Justice blog on June 27, 2013.  By Brighton Haslett 13 formerly homeless youth, ages 19 and 20, gathered in downtown Washington on the morning of June 17th to discuss their experiences with homelessness and their successes in the face of adversity at “Voices of Youth: A Discussion on Resilience, Homelessness,Read More

As much as I’ve learned about youth issues over the past two decades, I can’t help but feel there is even more that I don’t know.  One of the questions that has frittered away at the margins of my knowledge is: “Is the educational outcomes of youth in foster care really that different from otherRead More

Sometimes it can feel like being an advocate for youth is absolutely Sisyphian, forever pushing new legislation and battling for funds. Once something is passed, you start all over protecting the new legislation and pushing out the next step for improving the systems that serve young people. I’m always on the look out for thingsRead More

The National Voices Project is a new effort to bring the perspectives of thousands of people in communities across the United States to the national dialogue about children. The new project will conduct major national surveys twice each year designed specifically to focus on sources of racial/ethnic disparities and how to address them. Their latestRead More

FosterEd…It’s a great term to capture the cross-sector collaboration that is required for children in the foster care system to succeed in school. In a press release from the National Center for Youth Law,  Santa Cruz is launching FosterEd with a partnership including the Santa Cruz County Human Services Department, Santa Cruz County Office ofRead More

The interest in mental health, trauma, and healing is on the rise.  This discussion was fascinating as it both enriches our understanding of how to think of these issues but also does so by introducing an asset-based approach to it.     This discussion, written by Liz Wu, was originally posted on February 18th onRead More

By: Sue Badeau   My husband and I are Christian, and yet we have always acknowledged, learned about and shared in spiritual celebrations across many religions and cultures.  In particular, given the inextricably linked heritage in the Old Testament of Christians and Jews, we have always celebrated Jewish holidays in our home.  When one youngRead More