Selecting just one of CASA’s many dedicated advocates to spotlight as Advocate of the Year is always an enormous challenge. Every CASA volunteer comes to their role as an advocate with a full heart for service and a deep commitment to helping children. This year’s Advocate of the Year, Christopher Williams, was nominated by both the Presiding Court Judge of the Juvenile Court, Judge Craig Arthur, as well as by his Advocate Supervisor, Karyn Quick.
When Karyn nominated Christopher for this recognition she said, “I have had the honor of being Christopher’s Advocate Supervisor for the past couple years. I met Christopher at a CASA to CASA event where he had questions about helping his youth with education issues. I came alongside the supervisor he was working with at the time and helped with the education piece. When that supervisor moved on, I was one of many who asked to become Christopher’s Advocate Supervisor. Christopher is also involved in the Men of CASA affinity group, since he recognizes the importance of recruiting more men as advocates.”
Christopher found his way to CASA when looking for a volunteer opportunity in California after relocating from New York. He had previous experience working with another organization providing mentoring support to young boys, but was looking for something that was more involved and required more of a commitment. In his previous role as a mentor figure, he’d take his youth on outings he says the kids weren’t very engaged in the relationship.
After looking for opportunities in Orange County, he found CASA. He did his research and signed up for the advocate training. Christopher says, “I liked the aspect of the court involvement, the certification procedures and the training involved and wanted something more substantive than my previous volunteer role. I believe volunteering with CASA youth is much more impactful and the youth take it much more seriously - that’s why we have hundreds of kids waiting on a list to be assigned a CASA.” Christopher adds, “Some youth actually request a CASA so there’s a bit more gravity to the relationship and the youth are proactive in wanting the connection.” After completing his CASA training and passing the required background check, Christopher was sworn-in in 2019 and has been working with the same youth, *David, for five years.
Christopher first met his CASA youth when David was only 12 and now he is 17. Christopher says, “David has grown from a boy into a young man. We used to play video games, he interacted with friends and tried to navigate a smaller world. Now I’m really trying to edge him towards independent living and getting him to imagine a world outside of his group home. As he becomes more mature and goes through puberty, I’m trying to help him navigate his emotions and his feelings and stay out of trouble. I talk with him about not putting himself and others at risk by trying to present an image he thinks he needs to have. Managing all these things comes with being a teenager, but especially one who’s been in care since he was 9 years old. I try to help him navigate all that since he’s had very few reference points in his life.”
According to Christopher, youth who are in the foster care system experience so much disruption, it makes the role of a CASA that much more impactful and important. “I feel a bigger obligation because I know how critical my work is. David has changed social workers, schools, lawyers and placements multiple times since we’ve been together. I am one of the few consistent things in his life. That’s what makes this role feel so impactful to me,” says Christopher.
In addition to just spending time together, Christopher also took over Educational Rights for David last year. Since David has been in foster placements since he was 9, his education has been very inconsistent and he is way behind his grade level and struggling, possibly with undiagnosed disabilities. His mother was reluctant to approve any educational intervention for David and he fell further behind. Christopher and his supervisor Karyn worked to take on the rights to make educational decisions for Christopher. The Educational Rights Holder designation allows Christopher to make decisions about best serves David educationally. Christopher says, “This has allowed me to be more nimble in addressing what his educational needs are and getting David the services and school placement that are best for him.”
According to Christopher, David is growing and maturing, “One of his positive traits is he's learned to advocate for himself - many of the changes we’ve made in school placement and educational support were precipitated by him or his behavior.” Christopher adds, “We have an ongoing dialogue about what his environment looks like at school and what his end goal is. He’s trying to get enough credits to graduate but he has to be realistic about this so I’m helping with accommodations to set him up for success.”
Christopher says, “I appreciate that I’m a good sounding board for him, I know he respects me and I think the parameters CASA has put around our role as an advocate are helpful so I’m clear what my role is; I’m not his social worker and I’m not his guardian. I do want to see him succeed and I’ll advocate for him and be there for him. I am just there to listen and advocate for him. It’s easy to go down the path of feeling I need to do more and it’s helpful to remind myself that I’m here to give feedback or advice when needed, but it’s important to not to step over the line of going beyond the advocacy role.”
Christopher is also an active participant in the Men of CASA affinity group which is dedicated to recruiting more male CASAs and providing them an opportunity to network with other men who are volunteering as CASAs. Christopher is engaged with this effort due to the need for more male mentors for young male youth. “I do think it’s important especially for youth in the foster care system, who may have had inconsistent male mentorship or have had a negative presence. I feel I can speak with some authority with respect to image and how you present yourself, how you carry yourself and how you can exert strength without being violent. How you can project confidence without being loud. Subtle things like that may be easier for a boy to take seriously coming from someone of the same gender or race.” Christopher adds, “They can relate to the same shared experience. Having been a boy and a young man, I carry some lived experience that they may take more seriously.”
Karyn, Christopher’s Advocate Supervisor, says, “This has been a tough case and Christopher has been a fierce advocate as far as education goes. They’ve made tremendous progress and will continue until David graduates high school. Christopher collaborates well with the entire team in court. Christopher is a leader who advocates with compassion and respect to all parties. He loves CASA and our role with foster youth in the community. David has no one except for Christopher.”
Christopher says that he and Karyn speak every couple of weeks. “We’ve worked closely together on the educational rights issues and how to navigate that. She helps me understand where I have authority and where the social worker is needed. She’s a great resource and always either has the answers or knows where to get them.”
As Christopher reflects back on his five years of service as a CASA he says, “I think my youth would be in a much different, more negative position, had he not had a CASA. Not only do I feel like I have an impact on David, but I know that I get something out of it too. I don’t have kids of my own and throughout my day I’m dealing with my older adult colleagues so I very rarely get to interact with youth that age. Being a CASA gives me the opportunity to step out of my world and into his world and it puts a lot of things into perspective. We worry ourselves to death about the world and it gives me an opportunity to see things in a different way.”
Christopher says, “People should explore becoming a CASA - everyone has a lifetime of experiences that could be helpful to a young person who is struggling. You’re there to be a resource and advocate for them, but the youth will also give something back to you. They’ll let you in on this world that you maybe had no experience with or knowledge of, and it will add that extra layer on to your worldview and how you navigate life. It will help you be grateful for the resources you have and provide an appreciation for the social services system and the hard work they do for the kids that are in the system through no fault of their own.”
Christopher continues, “Some of these kids go out into the world and they’re not equipped with the skills they need to survive which can result in them getting into trouble or putting themselves at risk. It’s easy to look in from the outside and place blame, but it changes your view when you realize a child has been in care since they were 9 years old and never given those life skills. Becoming a CASA really gives you an appreciation for the many challenges faced by youth in the system.”
*Name changed to protect privacy.