Kids leaving foster care at 18 struggle in tough job market
September 14, 2011 – South Florida foster care kids struggle in tough job market – Sun Sentinel Tamarra Lestage was 13 when she ran away from
September 14, 2011 – South Florida foster care kids struggle in tough job market – Sun Sentinel Tamarra Lestage was 13 when she ran away from
September 15th – A 16-year-old girl running away from an abusive home met a man at a payphone in Detroit who promised her a better
September 2011 by Gabrielle Davis Former foster youth Ashtavia Maddox gave a powerful charge to 45 children’s legal services attorneys gathered September 15-16 in Orlando.
September 1, 2011 Severely impacted by dire economic times, The Florida Bar Foundation is considering seeking loans to be able to provide stable funding to
August 23, 2011 FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — She was a runaway who traveled from Hawaii to work the Super Bowl in Miami. Her job: having
August 22, 2011 MIAMI — Deb and Doug Carlsons’ adopted sons have trashed bedrooms, stolen credit cards and threatened to kill them, one drew a
August 18, 2011 Just six weeks after Florida began drug testing welfare applicants, WFTV uncovered numbers, which show that the program is already costing Central
August 15, 2011 Ft. Lauderdale lawyer’s pro bono effort helps former foster child recover $400k. “They took his money; they put it in CDs, then
School is just around the corner and our learning curve is at an all time high. Florida’s Children First and Florida Youth SHINE have been
FYS Events & Meeting Chair
(Palm Beach)
Hello, My name is Alexia Nechayev. I am 25 years old and I am an alumna of Florida International University where I received my B.A. in Psychology. My future career goal is to be a Lawyer. I was in care for about one year from age 17 to 18. Prior to entering care, I only knew about the negative stigma regarding foster care and while in care that narrative was unfortunately my experience.
In school I felt like I was on display because my status in care was broadcast to other students and in my placement behavior was leveraged for “privileges” that should be a natural right of all children. Because I did not know my rights I did not know that what I was experiencing was wrong. Today this is exactly why I advocate, because I don’t want this to be the same for other youth who are experiencing foster care.
This is my second year on the FYS Statewide Board and I’m happy to be the Events and Meetings Chair this year because my main goal through advocacy is to reach as many people as possible. My favorite thing as a board member is to see how comfortable members become while working together. The community needs to know that youth in foster care are real people, going through some of the hardest moments of their life and youth need to know that their voice is powerful. I believe that we have to speak up and bring these issues to people’s attention so that they do not forget us. Advocacy, education and consistency is the only way.