ADVOCACY
You’ll be taught the skills you need to advocate for yourself and for others in foster care so your voice can be heard, whether it’s loud or soft.
Advocacy Opportunities
Speaking Engagements
Share your Story
Youth Panels
Represent Yourself and your Peers
Social Media
Be featured in News Outlets
Leadership Development
Sharpen your Leadership Skills
Become a Media Ambassador!
Project LIFE is seeking applications from youth all over Virginia from youth interested in being a media ambassador. This opportunity will engage youth in future content projects created by the Project LIFE team. Selected youth will work closely with our Youth Development Coordinator to create social media content appealing to young people in the foster care system in Virginia.
Collaborative Partnerships
SPEAKOUT (Strong Positive Educated Advocates Keen On Understanding the Truth)
SPEAKOUT is for youth in foster care and alumni, age 15-26, who are interested in using their voice to provide input on foster care regulations, policy, guidance, and practice concerns, while also building advocacy and leadership skills. The group will ideally consist of 15-20 foster youth from across the state. It is expected that the group will meet several times a year to discuss issues and share ideas with VDSS. The meetings for the group will be held in various locations throughout the state.
Youth MOVE through NAMI
Youth MOVE (Motivating Others through Voices of Experience) is a youth-led, activity-based group for young people. This group was created to serve as a place where young people can come and be themselves while interacting with and meeting others who have similar experiences. Youth MOVE is also a space where the youth can be the drivers of their future and are able to be effective leaders in their community.
Youth MOVE Central Virginia meets virtually every 1st and 3rd Thursday from 7:00pm -8:00pm each month. (In person meetings will resume once it’s safe to do so. ) Youth ages 13-19 are encouraged to participate.
To learn more about how youth can get involved, contact Sophia. Learn more about Youth MOVE Virginia.
Be a foster care success story!
Help yourself and other youth in foster care by speaking up, sharing your ideas, getting involved in opportunities to change the foster system and becoming a leader. Project LIFE conference planning, SPEAKOUT, Youth MOVE, workshop co-facilitation, and youth panels are all great ways to take a giant step toward the life you want.
Sophia Booker
Youth Development Coordinator
A big part of what Sophia does is teaching youth how to advocate for themselves and others by sharing their stories and promoting engagement throughout our program. As the youth development coordinator, Sophia helps provide advocacy and public speaking training and opportunity for leadership development. Sophia helps engage youth opportunities such as advocacy/ speaking opportunities, focus groups, video testimonials, social media content, and participation on statewide committees.
Phone: 804.353.4461 x1504
Email: sbooker@umfs.org