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YAD 2013: One to Remember

 

The rain poured, the wind howled, but that couldn't keep 250 youth, young adults and allies from advocating for issues that will help children and youth impacted by foster care and homelessness at Youth Advocacy Day 2013.

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It was a truly memorable day. Not only were hundreds of orange scarves at the Capitol for one of our biggest Youth Advocacy Days ever, but for the second year in a row, they all got to see first hand the fruits of their advocacy. The first bill the House of Representatives considered on Youth Advocacy Day was one of our priority bills, HB 1204 - Sibling Visits. Legislator after legislator rose in passionate support of the bill and in the end, the bill passed the House by a unanimous 96 to 0 vote. We will post the amazing footage soon, that shows the entire House floor rise in recognition of our amazing youth and their work.

But that was just the beginning of the day. The rest of the day featured meetings with dozens of legislators and their staff, including Senate Majority Leader Rodney Tom and Speaker of the House Frank Chopp. Today we built strong momentum for our top priorities:

  • Extended Foster Care (HB 1302/SB 5405)
  • Sibling Visits (HB 1204/SB 5389)
  • Youth Opportunities Act (HB 1651)

For now, we will take the weekend to dry off and rest while we reflect on this incredible day. But our work isn't finished yet, so when we return we will continue to be advocates, fighting to give youth impacted by foster care and homeless the opportunities they deserve.