California’s YouthACT team from San Bernardino County are conducting a presentation this week at the 16th Annual Arizona Department of Education’s transition conference about how they used their advocacy skills to shape their transition experiences into adulthood.
The session is “YouthACTing as Transitions Ambassadors” and the team will discuss the partnerships they built with their families, adult partners, peers, and team members to advocate for themselves in high school, home, college, and rehabilitation service agencies to develop plans that work for them. California’s YouthACT team members will inspire their peers to use their voice to shape various transition systems for personal and policy success.
The California YouthACT team from the Colton-Redlands-Yucaipa Regional Occupation Program includes Branley Acevedo, Nicole Drazin and Fernando Olivarez. The team’s work is in support of the Countywide Vision’s regional goal to support the success of every child from cradle to career.
The YouthACT is a national leadership development initiative designed to get more youth with disabilities and their allies involved as leaders who partner with adults and organizations to improve opportunities for young people to succeed.
The term “youth transition” is used to describe the process and period of change young people go through between the ages of 12 and 25 that involves developing the full range of competencies they need to succeed in adult life including employment, postsecondary education, and independent and community living. While many organizations and government agencies are responsible for helping youth transition to adulthood, young people rarely have a voice in the decisions these agencies and organizations make about the programs, services, and policies that affect them. Increasing youth voice in organization and agency decision making and policy making is important to ensure youth receive the opportunities, services, and support they need during the transition to adulthood.