California Makes a Stronger Commitment to Kids

The Law Foundation of Silicon Valley thanks Governor Newsom and the Legislature for their commitment to improving the lives of children in California and signing his first budget that provides a significant investment for children facing entrance into the foster care system.

The Law Foundation supported the statewide efforts to increase funding for dependency counsel through advocacy, writing letters, and meeting with legislators in Sacramento with the larger coalition.

The historic increase of $54 million for dependency counsel funding is an important step to ensuring children and youth in the foster care system have access to high-quality legal representation.

Read more.

Law Foundation's Favorites of 2018 – Children & Youth

The Law Foundation's Favorites of 2018 wraps up this week with our favorites related to Children & Youth. You can help us continue to use the law as a tool for change by making a gift to the Law Foundation today. Your end-of-year support is greatly appreciated and crucial to achieving our mission of increasing access to justice to our most vulnerable communities in Silicon Valley.

Learn more about the issues children and youth in our community face by checking out the list below. Also, click here to subscribe to our newsletter to receive the latest updates from the Law Foundation straight to your inbox (including lists like these)!

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"Congratulations, You're On Your Own: Life After Foster Care" - Documentary

In this documentary, you'll follow a group of young adults as they tell their stories about navigating foster care and the hardships they face as they transition out of the system. When young people "age out" of the foster care system (they reach 21-years-old, the maximum age requirement needed for their caregiver to receive financial support), they are often forced to leave their guardian's home and figure out life on their own. These real-life stories remind us of our own clients who face the same hardships - nearly every foster care youth in Santa Clara County is assigned a Law Foundation attorney and we work tirelessly to ensure their safety and security. Watch here.

ACLU "On Liberty" Podcast about School Discipline

The school-to-prison pipeline severely affects students who are facing increased police presence at school and severe punishments for routine misbehavior that can result in arrest and criminal charges - and students of color are disproportionately impacted. In this podcast, the ACLU discusses the pipeline and what it means for our children. As part of the Law Foundation's education rights work, we assist students when they or their parents feel they are mistreated at school or are not receiving adequate resources to succeed. Listen here.

"Foster Care's Burn Book on Me" by Noel Anaya

Former foster youth Noel Anaya was placed in foster care when he was one-year-old. In this article, Anaya tells his emotional, empowering story as he obtains his foster care court records - 10 binders of paperwork detailing his life in the system. For foster youth, obtaining their court records can be an enlightening and critical step when moving into adulthood. Anaya is also working on a documentary about teens in the system and his own experience (keep an eye out for Law Foundation attorney Ben Ebert!). Watch the trailer here.

RACE EQUITY SPOTLIGHT

As social justice lawyers and advocates, it is critical that we work to understand the complex challenges our clients experience every day. This includes working to understand structural racism and systemic inequalities that pervade through policies, practices, and cultural messages. At the Law Foundation, we challenge these systems and assist clients in navigating them daily. With the adoption of a strategic Race Equity Initiative, we examine these systems with a more critical lens to better meet the needs of our clients and the communities we serve.

“The Hate U Give” by Angie Thomas

As a New York Times Bestseller and inspiration for a film released in October by the same name, The Hate U Give is a novel written for young adults with a message that anyone can learn from. After Starr Carter, a 16-year-old black youth, witnesses a police officer murder her unarmed friend, she processes the trauma and turns to activism. From 12-year-old Tamir Rice to 18-year-old Michael Brown, police brutality is a reality for many children and teens of color. Thomas, the author, writes a powerful take on the difficulties facing young African Americans growing up in the United States. Read a review here.

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We really hope you enjoyed the recommendations from our board, attorneys, staff, and volunteers! To create a more equitable community and society, we all must do our part to stay informed and engaged. We also hope that you will take this moment as an opportunity to become involved with the Law Foundation and its mission to increase access to justice by providing free legal services to low-income and underrepresented people and families.

Another Successful LACY Honors Thanks to You

We had a wonderful time earlier this month at our 24th Annual LACY Honors Awards and Luncheon, an event in support of the Law Foundation's Legal Advocates for Children & Youth program. Thank you to everyone that was able to share the afternoon with us and for supporting the important work of LACY and the Law Foundation.
 

Click through to see photos from the event, and see if you can spot any of your friends or colleagues!

It was an inspirational afternoon and we are grateful to Brianna who bravely shared her story and why she believes our work is so important for other non-traditional parents like her. Read Brianna's story here. 

We also met Kingston whose mother courageously spoke about the hardships she faced while fighting for his education without a lawyer, highlighting the importance of Medical-Legal Partnerships. If you missed the event, watch Kingston's video here and learn more about how our attorneys and social workers are using the law as a tool for change to advance justice.

Congratulations again to our honorees: Santa Clara County Board Supervisor, Cindy Chavez, whose achievements have been fundamental to the advances of children, youth, and families in Santa Clara County; and Fresh Lifelines for Youth (FLY), an organization focused on transforming the lives of at-risk and disadvantaged youth through mentorship.