County hosts youth visioning events, shaping transition age services

Humboldt County will convene youth and service providers for a two day series of visioning and collaboration events at the TAY Center, 433 M Street in Eureka, on Dec. 2 and Dec. 3. The Dec. 2 session will run from 4 to 6 p.m. and is open to young people ages 16 to 26. The Dec. 3 session will run from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. and is intended for community partners and service providers.

Organized by the Humboldt County Transition Age Youth Collaboration and the Youth Advocacy Board, the events are designed to gather feedback and ideas for the future direction of both groups. HCTAYC describes itself as a youth advocacy and leadership development organization focused on empowering young people with lived experience to transform the foster care, juvenile justice, mental health and homelessness systems. Organizers say the sessions will provide an opportunity to brainstorm policy priorities, identify advocacy opportunities and strengthen partnerships among community providers.

HCTAYC Youth Organizer Rosemary Shultz said, “This event is to reach as many transition-age youth as possible to share, envision and create action items to benefit youth health and wellbeing in our community and help shape HCTAYC’s programming.” Young participants on Dec. 2 will receive a gift card, will be offered food and will have a chance to win raffle prizes. Community attendees on Dec. 3 will be offered light refreshments and a chance to win raffle prizes.

For Humboldt County residents, the events create a direct channel for transition age youth to influence local services and for agencies to hear lived experience that can inform program design and policy advocacy. Increased youth participation could affect how county and nonprofit systems allocate resources and prioritize initiatives across intersecting service areas.

Young people ages 16 to 26 may RSVP to the Dec. 2 event via the event RSVP link on the County site. Community organizers and collaborators may RSVP to the Dec. 3 event via the community RSVP link. More information is available at humboldtgov.org/HCTAYC.