Tennessee Youth Advisory Council [TYAC]


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The Tennessee Youth Advisory Council (TYAC) is a group on current and former foster youth from Mid-Cumberland and Davidson County that meet on a monthly basis to improve the lives of youth and make an impact on the foster care system.

The TYAC is housed at Oasis Center (www.oasiscenter.org), and is a part of Fostering Success (www.fosteringsuccess.org). They are supported by the Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative (www.jimcaseyyouth.org). The Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative believes that the only way to affect real change in the foster care system is to engage current and former foster youth in planning the outcomes of the Initiative and by doing so they are creating a better future for themselves as well as the futures of other youth that will be in state’s custody.

We hope to improve the lives of youth and also improve the system that delivers services to these youth. We want to make significant improvements for foster youth in the following areas:
1. Permanency (forever families for foster youth)
2. Safe & Affordable Housing
3. Education
4. Employment & Job training
5. Health Care
6. Public Awareness
7. Research & Evaluation

We plan to do this by offering youth:
1. The Opportunity PassportT
2. Connections with caring adults
3. A voice in what happens to them and to other youth in the system

Where Does TYAC stand on the main issues facing foster youth today? GO»


	Oasis Center 1221 16th Avenue South Nashville, Tennessee 37212 (615) 327-4455 Jennifer St. Clair, Project Director (615) 322-1461, jennifer.stclair@vanderbilt.edu Laura Galovits, TYAC Coordinator (615) 322-3389, lgalovits@oasiscenter.org Sponsor: TYAC is sponsored by the Tennessee Department of Children's Servivces and the Vanderbilt Child & Family Policy Center's Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative If you are an adult and would like to get involved, please email Jennifer St. Clair