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Saturday’s letters: Florida’s foster kids deserve a bill of rights

As a former youth in foster care, I have experienced firsthand the care of children in our state and how our childcare systems prepare youth for the transition from foster care to adulthood. While Florida has made great changes, a report recently released by the Annie E. Casey Foundation shows our outcomes are about the same as the national average. However, we want the best, not average. This report, Fostering Youth Transitions, includes comprehensive national data explaining how young people ages 14 and older are doing as they transition from foster care into adulthood.

I am from the foster care system and am the statewide chair of Florida Youth SHINE, a group of current and former foster youth advocates across Florida. We believe that in order to have better outcomes for children, they need to be more informed and understand their rights. In order to accomplish this, we need a Bill of Rights for kids in foster care. When I was in foster care I felt like I didn’t have a voice and I didn’t know who to talk to when I needed things. For example, seeing my sister was extremely important to me, yet when I would ask for visitation I would be told no without any reason. I felt defeated and voiceless. I found out later that Florida has a law that would require regular visitation and interaction with my sister. Being armed with the knowledge about my rights and the tools to advocate for myself makes me feel confident that I am improving the system for those who are coming behind me. All foster youth deserve to know their rights, and to know about what is happening in their lives and how they can have their needs met. Florida lawmakers must consider implementing a Bill of Rights for children in care so these children can understand their rights.

Anna Zhang, Coral Springs

The author is the statewide chair of Florida Youth SHINE, a statewide youth-driven, peer-led organization that empowers current and former foster youth to become advocates for all youth in care. A native of Hillsborough County, she came into foster care at age 14, and left foster care when she turned 18.

 

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Alexia Nechayev

FYS Events & Meeting Chair
(Palm Beach/Miami)

Alexia Nechayev, from Miami, Florida, is a dedicated advocate for youth with lived experience in foster care and with homelessness. After being placed in foster care as a teenager, Alexia experienced firsthand the stigma surrounding the system, as well as the challenges of navigating a system that didn’t provide support for her to advocate for herself. This experience motivated her to create change, ensuring that other youth in care have the tools and resources she lacked.

She graduated with a B.A. in Psychology from Florida International University, and upon graduation worked as a Hope Navigator with the Department of Children and Families which allowed her to assist clients through individualized care plans, further deepening her commitment to improving the lives of marginalized youth. Alexia is now applying to law schools with the goal of advancing her advocacy work through a legal career. As the Events and Meetings Chair for Florida Youth SHINE (FYS), she creates opportunities for foster and homeless youth to collaborate and push for meaningful change. She is also an active member of the Policy and Initiative Team for Florida Youth SHINE, where she helps create and shape policies that directly impact youth in foster care. One of her proudest accomplishments is helping to develop the Foster Care Bill of Rights, a law that she feels would have made a difference during her own time in care.

In addition to her work with FYS, Alexia serves on the Board of Directors for the parent organization of FYS, Florida’s Children First. In this role, she contributes to strategic decision-making while advocating for the rights and welfare of children statewide.

Every year, she travels to the state capitol to advocate for bills she and her peers have helped shape, including key pieces of legislation that benefit foster and homeless youth. However her advocacy extends beyond her state, as she represents Florida Youth SHINE at national conferences such as the National Leaders 4 Change Conference.

Through her internship with the National Foster Youth Institute, Alexia continues to refine her advocacy skills, preparing for a future where she can contribute meaningfully to both policymaking and the legal system. Guided by the belief that “the blue sky is always there,” she remains committed to ensuring that every youth in foster care has the power and support to advocate for themselves.

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