Transforming the Foster Care System: Spotlighting California Youth Connection
By Dylan Lanza Desio, PVF Program and Communications Associate
We are excited to highlight the incredible work being done at California Youth Connection (CYC), a youth-led organization that develops and grows leaders who empower each other and their communities to transform the foster care system through legislative and policy change. CYC was established in 1988 by a small group of foster youth dedicated to addressing foster care issues. CYC focuses primarily on leadership development and advocacy through public speaking training, legislative engagement, youth-led community education efforts, and annual conferences and statewide strategy sessions.
While CYC has now expanded their reach with 15 chapters across the state, they maintain a strong presence in San Mateo County through a local youth chapter serving current and former foster youth in communities including Daly City, South San Francisco, Redwood City, East Palo Alto, Belmont, and Half Moon Bay. Recently, the CYC San Mateo chapter hosted a Youth Empowerment Summit, bringing young people and community members together to talk through resources and youth rights (pictured below). Emily Gifford, CYC’s Director of Development, shares, “it was the kind of room PVF’s support helps make possible: youth leading the conversation about what they need and what they know.”
Looking ahead, the chapter is planning a food, clothing, and school supply drive in August, aimed at supporting youth as they head back to school. Emily Gifford highlights “the timing is intentional. Recent changes to CalFresh have made this kind of direct support more urgent for the young people we work with, and the chapter wanted to respond directly rather than wait.”
In the near future, CYC San Mateo chapter is also hoping to fund a liaison role that would formalize its partnership with the San Mateo Foster Youth Advisory Board, strengthening a relationship that has so far been informal but valuable.
CYC is making significant strides in supporting youth as they identify local issues impacting foster youth and participate in key statewide decision-making. They are creating a paradigm shift in child welfare policy in California by establishing a system of youth-led policy development, securing passage of dozens of additional laws, and helping implement countless local and statewide child welfare policies.
PVF is proud to champion California Youth Connection and we look forward to witnessing the positive impact they will continue to create.
