One of the Youth Leadership Advisory Team's primary goals is to educate people about the experiences of youth in care. YLAT has had great success delivering training events in each year since it's establishment. YLAT has presented trainings to a variety of groups. Caseworkers, foster/adoptive parents, group home staff, educators, judges, lawyers, CASA volunteers (Court Appointed Special Advocates), GALs (Guardian Ad Litems), therapists, legislators and policy makers, students and other youth in care have all benefited from YLAT trainings.

YLAT has collaborated with others to produce and deliver these trainings. Presentations have occurred from Aroostook County to Texas, from Massachusetts to New Mexico, from Waterville Valley, NH to Washington, DC. We could be in your neighborhood next. Here is a menu of some of the training topics that YLAT has presented:

• What Youth Experience in Foster Care: In this workshop participants learn about the child welfare system from the perspective of youth who have been in it. Trainers discuss the impact of loss, lack of information, multiple changes and transitions, trauma, contact with family systems, and gaining control over ones life.
• Youth in Care and the Impact of Trauma: Focusing more on the impact of trauma and how loss of family connections and entry into the child welfare system impacts a youth in care.
• Understanding Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity in Foster Care: This training, designed and facilitated by youth in care, will provide a starting point for ongoing dialogue and learning about the needs of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgendered and Questioning (GLBTQ) Youth in foster care.
• How Youth in Care Can Influence Public Policy: Maine's Youth Leadership Advisory Team has built success in the arena of influencing public policy. This training is intended to enhance the participants understanding of how to be effective advocates for youth in care.
• Youth and Technology: This training is intended to enhance the participants understanding of how youth in care can gain career skills while being an important contributor to your team. Discussion will focus onbuilding youth skills in technology and including them in design teams for the development of web sites, newsletters, internet-based coursework and more.
• Developing a Youth Leadership Team: This training is intended to enhance the participants understanding of how youth can be effective advocates for other youth in care through the development of youth leadership teams.
• Sibling Issues in Foster Care: This training focuses on the experiences of siblings who become involved with the child welfare system. In light of 50-75% of siblings experiencing separation from other siblings, we lead the discussion into what systems can do to remedy this.
• Welcome to Our Home: Honoring Diversity in Foster Families: Youth in care illustrate ways to honor the differences between families and individuals no matter what background. Discussion also recognizes the impact of adjusting to new families, new routines, new everything.
• A Youth Development Approach to Working with Youth in Foster Care: Through activities and an interactive panel discussion, participants will have a greater understanding of how youth in care can have a more influential role in developing their own personal skills and competencies while enhancing the work of care providers.
• Youth in Care and the Role of Educators: Youth describe their experiences with the child welfare system. In particular, we discuss ways that educators can play a key role with identify risk to children and ways to support and youth in the child welfare system.