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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Nyamekye Reynolds, Senior Youth Advocate from You Gotta Believe
5:10:52
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107 sec
Nyamekye Reynolds, a Senior Youth Advocate from You Gotta Believe, testified before the Committee on Children and Youth, requesting increased funding to support their mission of ensuring no youth ages out of foster care without a committed family. She emphasized the importance of family for foster youth and the organization's work in creating and maintaining forever families.
- You Gotta Believe has received support from the New York City Council for the past ten years, which is their only public funding.
- The organization is requesting additional funding for their "Nobody Ages Out" program to help youth heal from trauma and build trust in the idea of family.
- Reynolds highlighted the need for long-term services to keep families together and provide meaningful leadership and work experience for youth.
Nyamekye Reynolds
5:10:52
Good afternoon Chair Stephens and members of the Committee on Children and Youth.
5:10:56
My name is Nymetia Reynolds.
5:10:58
Nymetia, nice to meet you.
5:10:59
That's how you remember my name.
5:11:01
I'm testifying on behalf of You Gotta Believe and You Gotta Believe's mission is to work towards the day when no teenager or young adult will age out of the foster care system without someone who is unconditionally committed to them for life.
5:11:15
My role as a senior youth advocate is to advocate on behalf of all of my brothers and sisters former and presently in the foster care system for what is rightfully theirs and that is family.
5:11:26
Family is their right.
5:11:28
If it wasn't for my adopted mom or my morally adopted dad, I don't know where I would have been.
5:11:35
And our youth and young adults need that when they are no longer cute and no longer fun to be around.
5:11:43
We're grateful for New York City Council ongoing support for the past ten years, the only public funding our agency receives.
5:11:51
We're requesting an increase of funding to assist us in creating more forever families and seeing to it that those forever families stick.
5:11:59
YGB is requesting funding for our nobody ages out program to empower youth to heal from the trauma that we've endured, to create trust so that young people can be open to the idea of family again In addition to the long term services so that families brought together can stay together for a lifetime.
5:12:19
Providing meaningful leadership, developing their work ethic, and so that they can we can build their resumes and focus on their futures.
5:12:31
YGB will continue its efforts in supporting older youth in foster care and we hope that the city council will do the same.