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Who are we?

The Youth Leadership Advisory Team (YLAT) is a dynamic group of young leaders and adult partners working together to improve outcomes for youth in foster care. YLAT members take on this work with a sense of duty and on behalf of all youth who come in contact with the child welfare system. Strong youth-adult partnerships create a foundation for YLAT’s success and play a powerful role in improving foster care experiences for all youth in care in Maine.

 

YLAT’s youth leaders and adult partners:

 

  • Bring Expertise

  • Exercise Leadership

  • Change and Grow through Participation

  • Are Included Fully

  • Give and Receive Respect

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YLAT is a partnership between YLAT members (made up of current and former youth in foster care), the staff at the Catherine Cutler Institute at the University of Southern Maine, caseworkers, and additional staff of Maine’s Department of Health and Human Services, and community members. Caregivers, service providers, lawmakers, and the legal community are examples of YLAT’s partnership with community members. Through this partnership, YLAT impacts youth in care, the child welfare system, and the larger community.

WHAT PEOPLE SAY

“It's really done a lot. Being a part of YLAT makes you feel stronger; knowing you're making a difference makes you feel good about yourself.” 

 

Youth Leadership Advisory Team (YLAT)

The Catherine Cutler Institute at the University of Southern Maine is committed to making our websites and digital content accessible to all users. We are actively working to improve the accessibility and usability of our websites and to align with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1, Level AA.


Accessibility is an ongoing process. We regularly review our websites using automated tools and manual checks, and we continue to make improvements as issues are identified. If you encounter a barrier to accessing information on this website or need content in an alternative format, please contact us.

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When reaching out, please include:
-The web page or URL where you encountered the issue
-A brief description of the problem
-Your contact information (if you would like a response)
Contact us: maineylat@gmail.com

YLAT

YLAT is a joint project between Maine’s Youth in Foster Care, The Maine Department of Health and Human Services, and the Catherine Cutler Institute at University of Southern Maine. YLAT is committed to improving the short-term and long-term outcomes for youth who are or have been in foster care.

YLAT, Muskie School of Public Service, University of Southern Maine, PO Box 9300, Portland, ME 04104-9300, phone: 207-780-5861

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