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The Chronicle of Social Change
Under Proposed Government Cleanup, Outdated NYC Foster Care Commission Targeted for Elimination
Madison Hunt is a New York-based reporter for The Imprint covering child welfare and the youth justice system. She can be reached at [email protected]
California’s Juvenile Detention Facilities are Cages for “Problematic” Kids
Kristel Cosio was born in Baguio, Philippines in the mid 90's to a Mexican-American father and an indigenous Filipina mother. Cosio came to the US as a toddler and was raised in the East Bay of Northern California. Due to her father suffering from a rare disease that caused him to go blind and her mother’s incarceration, Cosio was passed from different families until she decided to live in her car and graduated high school. Cosio is now majoring in microbial biology at UC Berkeley, after transferring from Berkeley City College. She currently does research at the UC Berkeley Optometry School, studying the disease her father suffered from. She is a harm reduction coordinator that educates co-ops, dorms, sororities, and frats how to use drugs and have sex safely at UC Berkeley. On the weekends, Cosio leads homeless encampment outreach through Suitcase Clinic, a UC Berkeley and UCSF initiative to provide all members of the community with basic needs and medical care. Her goals as a former foster youth and future doctor are to break down barriers that kept her from healing earlier in her life. She intends to use her experiences and education to change policy in the local and state government to bring more access, resources, and respect to system-impacted communities.
The Urgent Need for a New Normal in Youth Justice
Nate Balis is the director of the Juvenile Justice Strategy Group at the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Marc Schindler is the assistant secretary & chief of staff for the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services, and former executive director of the Justice Policy Institute.
The Hidden Homeless: Exploring the Impact of Housing Inequality on Young Adults
Dr. Mauriell Amechi is a professor of higher education at the University of Illinois-Chicago, a senior policy analyst at New America, and founder of Foster Youth Empowered. More of his work is available at https://dramechi.com.
My Relationships Have Never Been The Same Since I Entered Foster Care
Jacqueline Robles is a policy enthusiast, consultant, and most importantly, a dog mom of two. After living in the Los Angeles foster care system in the Indian Child Welfare unit for over 15 years of her life, Robles was tired of the same statistics of Black and brown youth failing in the system. Identifying as both Indigenous and Latina, Robles was set on a career to “level the playing field” for youth of color. Robles has sat in various leadership positions to advocate and shape policy for Los Angeles’s foster youth. Currently, Robles is a consultant for the Office of Child Protection, working on a national initiative for foster youth called “Thriving Families, Safer Children.” Robles is a Youth Commissioner for the Board of Supervisors and was appointed by Board of Supervisor Janice Hahn. Robles earned a Bachelor of Science degree in business management at California State University, Long Beach and is projected to earn a master's degree in Public Policy from UCLA in June 2022.
The Sounding Board
Dee Wilson is a former child welfare official for the State of Washington. He also served as director of the training and research institute at the University of Washington School of Social Work, and as a director in Casey Family Program’s Knowledge Management Unit. Toni Sebastian. Toni Sebastian is...
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Launched in 2013, The Chronicle of Social Change is an independent, nonpartisan daily news publication dedicated to covering the child welfare, juvenile justice, mental health and educational issues faced by vulnerable children and families.
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