Meet Maygan!

Between the ages of 12-16 I experienced the Juvenile Receiving Center and Crisis Residential at Salt Lake County Youth Services, during which period my family made the decision to have me transition to DCFS custody, of which I was placed in Proctor Care until I aged out at age 18. During my adulthood I experienced homelessness 3 different times reaching out to partners such as the Volunteers of America Youth Resource Center, Salt Lake County Youth Services Milestone Transitional Living Program, and my awesome car.

Within this it has allowed me the opportunity to have been a member of the Salt Lake County Youth Advisory Board for 4 years and was the Milestone House Manager for 2 years. Now I am currently the President of the Youth Advisory Board, Lived Youth Expert Advisor to the CoC, Chair of the Lived Expert Task group, and Co-Chair of the Youth Experiencing Homelessness Task group.

I am also currently working towards my Bachelor's degree in Political Science, I am at Salt Lake Community College and will be transferring to the University of Utah. I am dedicated to learning and making youth voices loud and heard throughout the world.

My aspirations for the 1999 collective is to serve youth in every aspect that we can that has formally failed, youth throughout the years of the system. My goal would also be that we create a model of what reality looks like when you include live expertise in the positions of power and decision-making, where we can make effective change not just for those living within our county, state, but possibly throughout the entire United States. I am a part of this group because it is rare, and far between to have a space that is safe and open for those with Lived experts to bring their expertise to the table as well as acknowledging the reality of why they have that Lived Expertise. 

“My soul is at peace when the world is shrouded in quiet darkness. My peace is what I need to survive so if I must I will thrive in the darkness.” - Maygan Martinez