Youth Advisory Committee

In January 2011 I joined the Youth Advisory Committee with the Vancouver Aboriginal Child and Family Services Society to try to help improve foster care. We are a group of 12 youth between the ages of 16 and 24 who are currently or have been in foster care. We meet once a month for 2 hours to discuss things that are going on in the organization and additional meetings for presentations if need be. During the 4 years that I have been apart of it, we have done various activities in our community to inform them of what it's like being in care and ways to improve it. 

The committee has helped me develop my public speaking skills as well as my confidence, since we do presentations at least twice a year. I am getting more comfortable getting up and talking in front of big groups of people, which will help me to eventually do a presentation for the Urban Butterflies by myself one day. 

I have also learned the type of things that go on to plan an event. Like all the brainstorming it takes for a group of people to decide on a name, finding a location, making posters for the event, getting funding, creating a budget, estimating how many people will show up, ordering food, finding people to talk or present and seeing if they'll be a good fit, sign in sheets, possibilities of prizes. I haven't done all of these tasks yet, but I am going to try out other areas in the years to come. 

Another thing we have done is create informational videos in partner with Reel Youth. I have only been apart of 2 of the videos so far, doing more of the behind the scenes work. I've done claymation, helping write a song for one of them, assisting with the editing, and a bit of screen time in one of them. 

2 people that I have added to my social network are Cheyenne Walters and Jordan Arcand since they're both born 11 days apart from me and I get along with them pretty good. I also see them in other programs. 

References- Holly Anderson and Debra Watson, Guardianship Social Workers at VACFSS. Office number (604) 216-6150