Imprint Author

Katarina Sayally

Katarina Sayally is a Youth Voice Contributor for Fostering Media Connections. She is a mother, writer and community organizer. As a single mother she relies heavily on love, community and ancestral knowledge in her familial healing journey. In 2019, she graduated with a Masters in Social Welfare from the University of California, Berkeley. However, she credits a childhood spent between group homes, juvenile detention, and the streets with her real education. Katarina remains dedicated to stability, dreams and freedom for all system-involved youth and their children. After more than 10 years of policy advocacy work, she has shifted her focus to capacity building with young leaders. She is a Dream Beyond Bars fellow with CURYJ, a proud supporter of the Sister Warriors Freedom Coalition and sits on the Advisory Board for Foster Youth Museum.

11/23/2021

How One Organization Cultivates Courage to Dream Beyond Bars

The organization Communities United for Restorative Youth Justice, or CURYJ, has been transforming lives in East Oakland for over a decade.

9/17/2021

California Bill Limiting Youth Probation Will Be Considered Next Year

California's AB 503, known as The End Endless Probation Act, would put limits on youth probation. It was filed inactive this legislative session but will be considered next year.

6/21/2021

It’s On All of Us: Close Youth Prisons, Build Youth Leaders

As California moves to close its youth prisons, it should invest in building youth leaders, writes Katarina Sayally.

California's youth prisons will close by 2023.

5/25/2021

Sound Off: California’s Youth Prison Closures

Juvenile justice advocates sound off on California's plan to close youth prisons and develop the Office of Youth and Community Restoration.

1/22/2021

Five Former Foster Youth Sound Off: How the Pandemic Impacts Their Education

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many in-person support services for current and former foster youth have been eliminated. This has been devastating for students pursuing higher education and left many to rely on – or long for – the lifelong connections promised when they exited foster care.