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Mission

The Youth Advisory Board works to empower young people and facilitate their growth by creating spaces of respect and trust to allow all individuals to engage and collaborate on important policies & projects . We aim to bridge the gap amongst counties and amongst youth and young adults so they can connect with, uplift, and advocate for one another. We build partnerships with communities and systems to transform systems of harm and failures to networks of care and success.

Values

• Integrity
• Innovation
• Respect
• Empowerment
• Empathy

MEET

The Youth Advisory Board Members

Mikaela – Alameda County
I’m from East Oakland, I’m 25, use she/her pronouns, and am enrolled in school for public health. My parents are formerly incarcerated, and I’ve had family and friends also be impacted by the system. I’ve seen first–hand how much struggle and stress goes into navigating the whole process. I don’t think incarceration is the solution, but I understand we can’t just drop it. Until we get there, I want to improve the circumstances for people still being impacted by the system so we can prevent further trauma.

Michael – Santa Clara County
I’m an amazing youth advocate who helped launch YAB. I’m 20 years old, grew up on the Eastside of San Jose, and was recently released. I didn’t know if I was going to spend the rest of my life in prison. I beat all odds. I took that opportunity to get to know myself and work on me. I helped launch Ontrack voices in my least restrictive program, step down in Secure Youth Treatment Facility, and continue to do the work. It’s my mission to give back to the world in any way possible.

Reid – El Dorado County
I’m 23 years old and I recently graduated with my A.A. and am now a senior at Chico State. Reciprocity is my theme, meaning I want to ensure that anyone affected by the Juvenile Justice System will not slip through the cracks like so many youth these days do. My goal is to end locking kids up, and it starts with an unmet need in the community.

Kevin – Alameda County
Growing up in Oakland, I witnessed how limited resources in communities can lead to cycles of poverty and incarceration. I joined YAB to make sure youth voices are not just heard but centered in shaping California’s reimagined juvenile justice system. As a first-generation college student and first-generation Mexican American, my goal is to continue building the foundation for the generations before me and after me, creating pathways my family and community can be proud of.

Vincent – Contra Costa County
I’m an undergraduate student at UC Davis majoring in Community and Regional Development with a minor in Technology Management. I earned my A.A. in Business Administration from Los Medanos College, where I was on the Dean’s List. Being formerly incarcerated, advocacy is personal to me. I joined YAB because I remember what it felt like to be unheard and to feel like my voice did not matter. My goal is to advocate for youth who cannot or do not yet know how to advocate for themselves.

Keven – Sonoma and Santa Cruz County
I’m a psychology major with a background in gang culture, violence, and poverty. I made choices that led me into the system early, but I always wanted something different. While incarcerated, I earned my high school diploma at 15 and shifted my mindset, eventually enrolling in college. Now, I co-facilitate CBI workshops in the juvenile hall where I was detained, teaching youth skills for communication and emotional control. I joined YAB because I understand the feeling of being unheard and unsupported. My goal is to ensure no young person feels stuck in the life they were born into.

Mac 

Antonio – Kings County

Luis – Kings County

Ka’lee – Los Angeles County
I’m a youth advocate, speaker, and Communications and Public Relations student pursuing her degree at Los Angeles Trade-Technical College and is living proof that your past does not define your future — purpose does. With lived experience in the foster care system, the juvenile justice system, and surviving domestic violence, I have transformed adversity into advocacy. In addition to YAB, I’m on the Planned Parenthood and John Burton Advocates for Youth Advisory Boards.  My work is rooted in healing, leadership, and empowering young people impacted by systems of care. I have become the leader I once needed.

Edwyn – Santa Clara County
After spending over five years in the juvenile justice system I’ve experienced many hardships, ultimately leading me to turn my life around. I’m working toward a Business Administration degree and I am a certified Notary Public. As a YAB member, I advocate for youth rehabilitation and use my lived experience to push for real change in the system.

Isabella – Sacramento County
My passion is to support/change youth that have been through the incarcerated system and reduce the number of youth that go into the juvenile system because I know how I feels when you have no one to guide you into the right path.

Alejandra – San Mateo County
I joined the Youth Advisory Board because I know what it feels like to be an only female in a secure track surrounded by only males. I want to make sure young people who are in the same situation as me are being heard and supported. Education and advocacy matter to me because everyone deserves dignity, safety, and a real chance to grow. My personal goal is to keep building my confidence and leadership. My system goal is to help create a youth justice system that listens to young people and understands them, not judges them or labels them as a “Criminal”.

Christian – Fresno County
I’m a senior at Fresno State studying Sociology and a member of the OYCR Youth Advisory Board. I joined because I’m committed to healing communities impacted by incarceration and changing how we respond to young people. I don’t believe locking people up fixes the problem. Real change starts with meeting needs in the community. I do this work to help people grow, avoid slipping through the cracks, and build a future that’s based on support, not punishment.

David – Butte County
I am currently pursuing an associates degree in sociology and social behavioral science. I joined the Youth Advisory Board because I want to use my voice to uplift justice impacted youth and work towards finding alternatives to incarceration.

Yefry – San Mateo County
I joined the OYCR Youth Advisory Board because I’m intrigued in working with a community who have been in the same shoes that I’m currently in. Bringing our ideas together to help those who have been through the justice system has been a way to give back to the community but also learn more about our people. I’m currently working on 2 Associates Degrees in Psychology and Sociology, hoping to become a Social Worker. My goal is to use my story and hopefully make an impact on our new generation. 

Edward – Sonoma and Los Angeles County

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Mercedez – Sacramento County
I earned my Associate of Arts degree in Social Science and am currently pursuing my Bachelor’s degree at UC Davis. After years of incarceration I have used my education as a bridge to my success and prosperity. I’m committed to using my experience and insight to create change in the juvenile justice system, aimed to support the success of us youth. 

Francisco – Orange County

Ethan – Orange County
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Dakota – Butte County

SaVaun
I’m 18 years old and from Butte County. I graduated high school and am working toward my AA in business management. I never thought I would make it to my graduation. I joined YAB because I know how it feels to be a youth that feels powerless and like you’re not being heard. While working with YAB I can make changes so youth don’t feel like that. I hope to achieve a master’s in business management and a degree in microeconomics.

Tony
I am 23 years old. I am a certified dog trainer and behaviorist with a passion for teaching the human to understand the dog. In addition to that work, I am a student at Cal Poly Pomona with a major in animal science. I joined YAB because I feel people need to understand that the youth have a voice and to express why I chose my passion of working with dogs.