WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (CBS12)
Florida Youth SHINE is the organization whose members are youth who grew up in foster care and are dedicated to improving the lives of those who are also in the system.
This year, as they celebrate 20 years of advocacy, they had a recent appearance in the White House for the signing of “Fostering the Future” as well as testified before Florida’s legislature to pass a bill to extend housing support for former foster youth.
“Through Florida Youth Shine has given me some of the biggest opportunities,” says Qua’viona Peeples, Florida Youth SHINE Member. “It has impacted my life in ways I can’t even explain it, like huge.”
“Youth SHINE works every single year to advocate for legislation to improve the system,” says Geori Berman with Florida’s Children First. “So, we’ve been very successful, and we’re celebrating 20 years this year.”
“Go to the Senators and Representatives, they listen to us. They listen to our voice. We pass bills because of our stories.”
And this year, they chose housing as their main priority.
Worried she was going to lose her housing voucher once she moved to attend Florida State University, Qua’viona testified in front of the Florida House and Senate to pass a bill that extended housing support for former foster you to every county in the state.
“I was in foster care from the age of six until I aged out,” she explains. “My story is one example, but it highlights a larger issue that needs attention. It was very impactful because my story mattered, and it helped pass the bill. My voice can help youth who cannot be heard and seen.”
“You know, sometimes they’re sharing traumatic stories and things that happen to them, but they’re all doing it to improve the system for their brothers and sisters and those youth that come after them,” says Geori. “They are able to network with individuals, a lot of them want to go into child welfare, and it is just a really empowering experience.”
Members also share their message with child advocates and DCF leaders and help support one another. Serenity is one of their chapter leaders in their Jacksonville chapter.
“People before Youth Shine, you see these youth, they came from where I came from.” Qua’viona adds. “They were in care, but guess what? They graduated, they have bachelor’s, master’s, and it’s like very inspirational. You’d be like, wait, they were in foster care, and they’re successful. I can be successful too.”
This housing bill is designed to reduce homelessness and school dropouts amongst those who grew up in foster care, which are two of the most alarming rates for those who aged out of the system.
To find out more about how you can help children and teens in foster care, visit ForeverFamily.org, in partnership with ChildNet.
by Liz Quirantes
Tue, December 2, 2025 at 10:38 PM
