2008–2009 EYAB Members

During the 2008-2009 EYAB term, HEY continued to build upon its Internship Employment Model by adding an additional component. The new component was added to provide an additional layer of support to assist a board comprised solely of nontraditional youth leaders. Non-traditional leaders are defined by HEY as youth leaders who did not have exposure to leadership position during early adolescences, while they may have participated in some leadership activities they never acted in a defined leadership role. To support this change HEY’s Project Manager developed an Expert Advocate Model, this model provided a 10 hour per week, 11 month employment internship opportunity to educate the larger community about the issues of emancipated foster youth. Through this model HEY’s EYAB members focused on becoming advocates through intense training and staff support. The team was able to develop and implement a training program to inform organizations and groups who did not necessarily work in the foster care field on the unique situation of current and former foster youth, and how to best serve them. Like HEY itself, HEY’s EYAB served to strengthen systems through promoting awareness and improving cross-sector communication.

The Team Included:

Steven Adams

For Steven Adams, growing up happened fast, at the age of eight he was said to have a mental illness which caused him to act out on compulsiveness. Due to the illness the doctor claimed he had, his mother placed Steven into a school for foster care children, kids on probation, and medically sanctioned students. Although Steven was aware of how the “system” treated its clients he eventually fell into all of the categories that his school deals with. When Steven was 18, he graduated from the court ordered program that he had been attending. After graduation from his program Steven continued to graduate at his high school and eventually went on to college, earning an associate in arts. Steven wants to continue his trend of successful graduations as he works towards his goals.

Chio Saetern

Chio Saetern is a member of EYAB where he works on a team and individually to create and run programs, attend youth conferences, and work with the adults and the youth in the community. When Chio emancipated from foster care at age 18, he lived in a homeless shelter for more than six months before coming to First Place for Youth (a non-profit organization that house emancipated foster youth) for help in finding housing and support services. He is passionate about giving back to his community and enjoys working with youth who have grown up in similar situations. He wants to educate others about the resources that are available to foster youth, and those who are affiliated with foster youth. In the future he hopes that he can outreach to youth lifting them up by being a motivational speaker and a youth counselor. In addition to working for HEY he is also an employee at First Place For Youth, and attending Laney Community College in Oakland where he is pursuing a double major in social work and psychology.

Erika White

Erika White is a 21 year old native of Santa Cruz, who recently relocated to San Francisco. She is a new member of the 2008 EYAB board who hopes to focus her work on the mental and behavioral health of foster youth. As an emancipated foster youth herself, Erika brings to the table an array of personal experiences that she hopes can be used to enrich the lives of others. Currently, she is studying Dietetics and Psychology in Monterey, with plans to become a Registered Dietician, and eventually an M.F.T. When not working with HEY, Erika can be spotted working at a Chiropractic office in Pacifica, sampling restaurants, ducking into bookstores, and jogging along the beach.

Erin Williams

My name is Erin J. Williams. I was born in San Francisco in the 1980s and raised in Bayview and Hunters Point in a single parent home. I am an emancipated foster youth leader, mother, student, advocate, and public speaker. These things were a part of me before I even realized it. When I was younger I started being active in the community by planting gardens, painting murals on neighborhood schools with youth leaders, and attending a variety of dance classes. I really didn’t see what a difference I could make until I experienced foster care. The challenges that I experienced made me understand that I could make a positive change after the obstacle of foster care was behind me. Today I am a mother of a baby boy and a student at City College working towards my A.A. in Health and Science in the Guardian Scholars program. I recently was selected to work with HEY (Honoring Emancipated Youth), which is fulfilling my dream of being a leader and an advocate for change by speaking about foster youth struggles and—most of all—our victories.