SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

For this year’s Maria Woltjen Waymaker Award, the Young Center will be honoring one of our very own Board members, Dr. Selma Yznaga. 

From the very beginning, Dr. Yznaga has served as an integral part of the Young Center. As part of our Volunteer Child Advocate cohort in Harlingen, she has served as an expert on Best Interests Determination (BID) panels, and helps train other Volunteer Child Advocates. Both in her professional and personal life, Selma is a champion for the Young Center, our work on behalf of children, and our staff. We are incredibly grateful for all that she's done for the Young Center and can't wait to celebrate her at our Harlingen office next week!

Over the next few weeks, we will be transitioning from our current email system to an updated Customer Relationship Management system. As we work out the different odds and ends, we hope to stay in touch and that you'll excuse our dust while we build up a more efficient and robust set of tools for your engagement. 

IN THE NEWS

Our Technical Assistance Program, in partnership with the National Center for Youth Law, filed an Amicus Brief with the Virginia Court of Appeals in the case of an Afghan child who was illegitimately adopted and taken from her family in 2021 by a U.S. Marine. The brief urges the Court to center the child's best interests and well-being, through her return to her rightful family, and urges the Appellate Court to uphold the lower court's order vacating the Marine's adoption order.

As we wrap up our series examining the Young Center's values, we take a look at what it means to build up a financial infrastructure that centers our work first and foremost as well as a human resources and leadership team that prioritizes diverse experiences, perspectives and cultures that reflect the children we serve.

After 10 weeks training to advocate on behalf of children and amplify their wishes, our Elizabeth Frankel Fellows submitted a short reflection about their time at the Young Center and the lessons they learned working diligently at the frontlines of immigration policy and advocacy to reunify families and protect the rights of unaccompanied children. We will miss Cristina, Jose, and Samantha but feel hopeful knowing that they will be creating change and impacting lives wherever their professional journeys take them!

JOIN THE TEAM 

We have several Volunteer Child Advocate Trainings coming up in New Jersey and Washington, D.C. Stay tuned to our social media pages for all the latest training and info session dates!