https://www.palmbeachpost.com/lifestyle/20200804/county-students-can-give-foster-kids-stronger-voice

Students Speak Up For Kids provides students opportunities to serve and speak up for the children involved in Palm Beach County’s dependency court system.

Creating birthday cards for foster kids. Writing notes of encouragement. Virtual tutoring.

These are a few of the many projects schoolchildren can participate in to help foster children through a new community program by Speak Up for Kids of Palm Beach County.

Speak Up for Kids is excited to launch Students Speak Up For Kids, a new program encouraging student-led, project-based advocacy benefiting children in the foster care system. Meaningful volunteer opportunities are available to students of all grade levels in Palm Beach County.

“Students Speak Up For Kids captures the true spirit and commitment Speak Up for Kids has made to our children and youth,” said Executive Director Coleen LaCosta. “This program meets a community need by expanding our reach and serving all students in Palm Beach County.”

LaCosta was honored to receive a Positive Youth Impact Grant from the Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties to help launch this program.

Trish Zenczak joined the Speak Up for Kids team to roll out the program. Zenczak became a foster parent in 2000 in order to give back to all those who so generously mentored, fostered and cared for her through childhood.

Her experience as a group home resident and her passion as a foster mom has led her down the path of adoption and guardianship and now, advocacy. She believes that “everyone can do something” and is excited to offer her experience to help empower Students Speak Up For Kids.

Students Speak Up For Kids provides students opportunities to serve and speak up for the children involved in Palm Beach County’s dependency court system. The goal is to promote positive youth development. Student-led advocacy teaches giving, builds upon unique talent and leadership skills, and ultimately fosters a cohesive community of inclusion and understanding among students in their schools and in their neighborhoods.

“We have found students to be passionate, energetic and eager to make a difference in their communities,” said Fiona Wade, director of development for Speak Up for Kids. “High school students are actively reaching out to Speak Up for Kids seeking meaningful community service opportunities and requesting a pathway to partner with a nonprofit in order to differentiate themselves as college and employment applicants.”

Students Speak Up For Kids created three easy ways to get involved: individual projects, group projects and campus chapters. Students are free to use a premade toolkit or design their own advocacy campaign. The group encourages creativity for endless possibilities. Students can easily submit their volunteer hour log and receive a comprehensive summary from the program.

Some elementary level projects include hand art for Celebration of the Hands during Florida Children’s Week (the hand pictures hang at the Capitol); coloring and writing notes of encouragement; and making birthday cards for foster kids (there are 1,700).

Middle-schoolers also can join in on their own projects, such as creative art projects, such as Illustrate Special Topics in Foster Care; creation of cards and posters to thank volunteer child advocates; content writing to be featured on the Students Speak Up For Kids blog; and creation of social media posts and awareness.

Teens and high school students seeking to service their communities can read virtually to foster children; become virtual tutors to foster kids; help in online content creation and blogging; create student news and video segments on morning announcements; and distribute flyers in their community.

There also are group projects for students to experience, such as 10 10 10 — where for 10 days, 10 people together complete 10 Speak Up For Kids activities; creating a seasonal sport event table and participating in SGA (Student Government Association) engagement and leadership projects.

Students Speak Up For Kids also offers a grade-level appropriate presentation and activity on foster care awareness. Teachers have the opportunity to lead their own class awareness project guided by a toolkit. Parents can join in on the new program via family projects.

Those interested in Students Speak Up For Kids should be on the lookout for school-to-school challenges, which are in the works — especially during Child Abuse Prevention month.