Young people transitioning out of foster care face unique challenges on their journey to adulthood. Many have moved in and out of different homes and schools, often facing a steep climb into adulthood without a stable support system.
In a recent gathering of Los Angeles-based foster youth advocates, child welfare expert and long-time youth advocate Sade Daniels explained that lived experience is an essential form of expertise in finding effective solutions to address problems within the child welfare system.
“Lived experience is knowledge, expertise, wisdom—and it’s a very unique thing that many people don’t have,” said Daniels, who works with young people to help them understand “the power of their story and their ability to make change with that story.”
Better Youth is an organization that prepares foster youth for success in the creative economy with mentoring, media arts training, professional skills development and social support services.
“It doesn’t matter who you are, as long as you know what you want to do and you have a healthy support system that can help you get to where you need to be,” said Omar Dante Peterson, a Better Youth graduate and independent filmmaker. “The sky’s the limit.”