YLAT Values
Maine’s YLAT relies on youth-adult partnerships for its success. YLAT defines youth-adult partnerships by talking about five central values.1. Each partner brings expertise.
Youth. Youth team members possess wisdom about the child welfare system that can only be known from their direct and personal experiences in care. That wisdom is important to other youth in care, teammates, and the child welfare system. Youth expertise means that youth have the 
opportunity to give feedback on adult-driven projects and issues, as well to identify and prioritize their own critical issues. Youth are never discounted as too young, too vulnerable, too close to the experience to bring a valuable perspective. This value contrasts with many other programs, in which youth are only recipients and beneficiaries of the program.
Adults. The adult partners of YLAT are also called upon to share their expertise in youth work, in leading the child welfare system, and in transferring their organizational and political experience. Adults are expected to share that wisdom with the team’s youth members. Sometimes, applying this value is as simple as translating child welfare acronyms or explaining the chain of command. Many times, it is more complex—sharing expertise by training, coaching, and mentoring.
2. Each partner exercises leadership.
Youth. All youth have the capacity to lead. Living this value means giving youth the inspiration, confidence, role-modeling, and support to do so. YLAT recognizes that leadership takes many forms. Opportunities, therefore, are constructed to embrace a range of approaches, talents, and skills. Other programs or approaches may limit leadership opportunities to the best and the brightest, showcasing the most “talented” youth. But YLAT never turns away from young people, even as they struggle with addictions, become young parents, find themselves homeless, attempt suicide, or break laws. Leadership opportunities are never denied as punishment.
Adults. Adults who hear from YLAT members often describe feeling invigorated and remembering the reasons they chose to work on behalf of families. Those adults who are committed to the YLAT partnership are expected to act on their renewed inspiration—they are to exercise leadership in response to their interactions with members of the team. Most often, this means using their roles to implement the ideas of the team members: helping youth to reach the right audiences, embedding new ideas in child welfare policy, or shifting their own case practices. It also means carrying the values and messages of the team to colleagues and superiors—and the values of youth-adult partnership into their organizational culture.
3. Each partner changes and grows through participation.
Youth. When youth become team members, share their expertise, and assume leadership roles, they are surrounded with support—adequate training and preparation in advance, as well as the chance to debrief and reflect on the experience afterwards. Both this training to lead and their experiences as leaders are transformative. The team speaks openly about the ways that participating in YLAT strengthens them as leaders, shapes their beliefs, may change their opinions, and can drive their career plans.
Adults. Living this value requires openness to hearing—and internalizing—team messages. Staying open to change and growth through interactions with the youth remains essential for adult partners, even following years of work with the team.
Individually, for an adult partner, changing an attitude or perspective impacts how that adult operates in his or her own role. Organizationally, as more adults partner with youth, a shared understanding, place of reference, and a new set of assumptions become created and are present in all interactions.
top4. Each partner is included fully.
Youth. A traditional approach to organizations suggests identifying leaders, requiring consistent participation, and moving uniformly towards defined goals from meeting to meeting. But for youth in the child welfare system, placements change, personal crises arise, or transportation falls through. In short, traditional organizations have barriers that can prohibit participation from young people who are managing complex lives. YLAT, therefore, strives to break these barriers and allows great flexibility. Those youth and adults present make decisions. Past topics remain open to discussion, as necessary. Hierarchical leadership structures are avoided. Team activities, training approaches, and leadership opportunities are varied, remaining inclusive of different personalities, learning styles, and preferences.
Adults. Inclusivity, among adult partners, often means remembering to join the ranks of the team, rather than remain separate and superior. At team meetings or trainings, adults do not stand on the sidelines. Rather they are expected to learn and contribute. At conferences, for example, seeing a DHHS leader, caseworker, and youth member all working together on a team building exercise is a common sight.
5. Each partner gives and receives respect.
Youth & Adult. All the youth and adults who are part of the team bring skills, knowledge, and understanding. They are expected to share trust and work to earn trust in one another. No member of the partnership is more or less valued than the others.
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