About Youths 4 Advocacy (Y4A)

BACKGROUND

Students face many challenges and opportunities as they begin to plan life after high school. During this process, students and their families need helpful information, resources, and support.
Students also need practical tools to become strong self-advocates and make their own life choices, graduate from high school, and become successful members of their communities.

Youths 4 Advocacy

Youths 4 Advocacy (Y4A) is a federally funded project for North Carolina high school students enrolled in the Occupational Course of Study (OCS). Y4A empowers students to:

• Graduate with a high school diploma, and
• Transition successfully into their community.

Y4A CREATES POSITIVE CHANGE

• The Y4A team partners with students, teachers, parents, and community members to design a project that meets their needs.
• Y4A offers an exciting new website connecting OCS students to youth-oriented organizations, information and resources locally and across the country. Families and teachers will find a link, too. (www.self-advocate.org).
• Y4A uses a “rehearsal for life” approach. Students practice leadership tools by enacting real-life situations and participating in a range of interesting hands-on activities.ThisSpeak Up! curriculumwas developed by Project STIR (Steps Toward Independence and Responsibility) to successfully address such topics as: Knowing Yourself, Communicating, Problem-Solving Steps, and Rights and Responsibilities.
• Emerging self-advocate leaders from the community will be recruited to work closely with students. Mentors participate in leadership development activities as part of their mentoring time.

THE Y4A SUPPORT TEAM

The Y4A team is made up of trainers with and without developmental disabilities. The team supports individuals to speak up, make choices for themselves, and actively participate in their communities.

Y4A - STIR Team

Robyn Dorton, Self-Advocate Trainer
Email: robyndo1978@yahoo.com | Phone: 919.966.8779

Wilson Finks, Self-Advocate Trainer
Email: finkswilson@hotmail.com | Phone: 919.966.8779

Kira Fisher, Project Coordinator
Email: kira.fisher@cdl.unc.edu | Phone: 919.966.8779

Joann Haggerty, Project Evaluator
Email: jhaggert@email.unc.edu | Phone: 919.843.1512

Barbara Leach, Family Liason
Email: barbara.leach@cdl.unc.edu | Phone: 919.966.5171

Greg Olley, PhD, Project CoDirector      
Email: greg.olley@cdl.unc.edu | Phone: 919.966.4613

For more information, please contact:         
Deborah Zuver, MA, LMFT, RDT, Project CoDirector 
Email: deborah.zuver@cdl.unc.edu | Phone: 919.962.3603

THE UNC CENTER FOR DEVELOPMENT AND LEARNING

The University of North Carolina’s Center for Development and Learning (CDL) is dedicated to improving the lives of individuals with developmental disabilities. CDL is involved in a series of community projects and research studies (www.cdl.unc.edu).

Youths 4 Advocacy is a program of Project STIR (Steps Toward Independence and Responsibility), which offers support, training, and technical assistance to increase self-advocacy and self-determination for individuals with disabilities. The STIR team includes trainers with and without disabilities who offer practical hands-on approaches to leadership skills for self-advocates, their family members, and professionals.