Removed From Home — Living in Bureaucracy
BY THE SECOND HALF OF LAST YEAR, CHILDREN IN South Florida were entering the state dependency system by “leaps and bounds,” one official said. Removed from
We believe that all children have the right to food, clothing, housing, education, medical care, property and personal privacy.
Florida’s laws, policies and practices respect, prioritize and protect children and youth impacted by the child welfare, juvenile justice, and disability systems.
BY THE SECOND HALF OF LAST YEAR, CHILDREN IN South Florida were entering the state dependency system by “leaps and bounds,” one official said. Removed from
After a series of highly publicized child deaths last year, the House and Senate are taking different approaches to fixing the state child-welfare system —
BY CAROL MARBIN MILLER AND AUDRA D.S. BURCH MIAMI HERALD The Miami Herald investigates how 477 children died of abuse or neglect after falling through
By Megan E. Davis Associate Editor While a common rite of passage for most 16-year-olds, the opportunity to get a driver’s license remains out of
MIAMI (CBSMiami/NSF) February 18, 2014 9:18 PM A bill that would give teens and young adults in foster care greater access to driver’s licenses unanimously
BY MARGIE MENZEL NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA/TALLAHASSEE The suicide of 7-year-old Gabriel Myers in foster care shocked the child-welfare system in 2009. It led to
Tuition and Fee Exemption for Florida”s Foster Youth. The White Paper looks at an examination of the efficacy of existing efforts, barriers to usage, and
by: Christina Spudeas, Robin Rosenberg, and Andrea Cowart North American Council on Adoptable Children (NACAC) Adoptalk Summer 2013 Edition “We just want to do
BY MARY ELLEN KLAS HERALD/TIMES TALLAHASSEE BUREAU The question before the Senate committee was simple: Why did Florida’s child welfare system fail to protect the
The Department of Children and Families commissioned a report by the respected Casey Family Programs–a national operating foundation based in Seattle, works to provide and improve
BY CAROL MARBIN MILLER CMARBIN@MIAMIHERALD.COM At his grandmother’s Lee County home, life was bleak for Michael McMullen and his three siblings. They slept in an
Lane DeGregory, Times Staff Writer Monday, October 7, 2013 11:56am ST. PETERSBURG — As soon as they pulled into the church lot, Davion changed
By Jan Pudlow Senior Editor The medically fragile infant was housed in a wing of a nursing home designed for geriatric patients in Tampa, and
Published in the Miami Herald, Friday Oct. 4 I congratulate Department of Children & Families Interim Secretary Esther Jacobo for engaging outside experts to review
Published: Wednesday September 25, 2013 The Palm Beach Post TALLAHASSEE — After a wave of child deaths since the end of the spring legislative session, Florida
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.