About Us:
San Mateo County Foster Youth Advisory Board (FYAB) is a group of youth and young adults in foster care and formerly in foster care, which is dedicated to uplift and empower youth voice and serves as a representative body for system impacted youth in San Mateo County. It also provides the opportunity for youth to receive support and grow connections with one another and people in the county.
Purpose:
The goal of the San Mateo County (SMC) Children and Family Services (CFS) Foster Youth Advisory Board (FYAB) is that foster youth are treated with dignity and respect in a safe and healthy environment where they are given opportunity and access to resources and pathways that enable them to thrive.
The FYAB exists to be a youth-governed body by which system-impacted young peoples’ lived experiences are integrated into CFS decision-making structures and processes. It will provide a space in which youth with lived experience in San Mateo County build community, be listened to, and express themselves in an authentic way. It serves as a representative body for system-impacted youth in San Mateo County.
To this end, San Mateo County Children and Family Services Foster Youth Advisory Board will collaborate with CFS to ensure that local youth voices and lived experience expertise help shape HSA CFS policies and practices that affect all youth who have experienced out-of-home care. It will work with CFS to ensure that the discussions and recommendations of the YAB are developed into concrete action steps and implemented by CFS and other relevant bodies.
Upcoming Activities:
FYAB meetings are held in person monthly in San Mateo, CA every third Monday of the month.
Who Can Join FYAB?
All current and former foster youth ages 13-25 are welcome to apply to become a Board member. A member is or was a current or former dependent of San Mateo County.
FYAB Highlights:
- Members have served as panelists for new Social Workers and CASAs sharing their expertise and lived experience for engaging with youth.
- Members have attended and presented at state and nationwide conferences sharing their expertise and lived experience for uplifting youth voice.
- Members have provided feedback to the county on legislative priorities and the county’s five-year strategic plan.
- Members developed a luggage program for foster youth to receive new luggage when transitioning homes.
For more information contact:
ILP Coordinator Sandy Barba at sbarba@smcgov.org who can help connect you to an advisory board member.
FYAB recognized the impact it can have on foster youth to have to move their belongings in trash bags as unfortunately can occur for youth. So FYAB worked to obtain funding and launched the Pack and Care Project. Pack and Care was created to provide a way for foster youth and Social Workers to get brand new luggage for a youth's belongings when they have to move. “This new program is to not only help the youth transition out of their home but it will [bring] comfort to them seeing that we can provide them some sort of stability using luggage and duffle bags for their belongings.” -former FYAB co-chair Marlene Salinas.
