Three young Nebraskans used their lived experience and research to present policy recommendations to state leaders during Legislative Days 2026, part of a statewide effort to address youth homelessness.
Dez Fisher, Jeni Fry and Jiromi Corona, members of the Statewide Youth Action Board on Homelessness, traveled with Angela Gebhardt, youth lived experience coordinator at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Center on Children, Families, and the Law, to Carol Joy Holling Camp in Ashland for the annual event.
Legislative Days, hosted by the Nebraska Children and Families Foundation, is a three-day education and advocacy event that brings together young leaders with lived experience in child welfare, juvenile justice or homelessness to engage in the political process. Youth leaders from the foundation’s Youth Advisory Board and Connected Youth Initiative partners also attended this year.
During the event, participants learned about the Nebraska legislative process, voting and advocacy, and developed solution-focused dialogue on issues they care about. On the final day, youth leaders presented their positions on current bills in the Nebraska Legislature.
Fisher, Fry and Corona — representing the Youth Action Boards in southwest Nebraska, southeast Nebraska and the City of Lincoln — worked with Jacey Deplanty, a child welfare youth fellow with Nebraska Appleseed, to develop their position on a bill affecting their community.
Read more in Nebraska Today.
