Our Stories, Our Future Storybook

Behind Every Policy, There’s a Person

Our Stories, Our Future Storybook

These storytellers offer more than moments from their lives. They offer a blueprint. Their experiences reveal where our five issue areas intersect, where systems are breaking down, and where real opportunities for change live. In their words, we find both the challenges and the way forward.

Download the storybook

What’s Inside


Ways to engage


  • Storybook: Download the publication and read the stories below to learn more about each storyteller. For media inquiries, please email info@vakids.org.
  • Interviews (Coming Soon): Watch the full interviews with storytellers detailing their lived experiences and expertise.
  • Policy Agenda: Learn how Voices plans to advocate for young people during the 2026 Legislative Session and join us in championing making young people the agenda in Virginia.
  • Get Involved: You’ve read the stories, reviewed the policy agenda data, and now you’re ready to take action. Email our Director of Engagement for advocacy training and opportunities at cat@vakids.org.

“…consider the whole person. When you’re making these policies and these changes, a lot of these systems work together, and lawmakers could be conscious of supporting the whole person and the whole family.”

Nikieta Lambert, ECE Advocate and Training and Curriculum Specialist

Meet the Storytellers

The stories you’ll read here come from Virginians who carry a wealth of experience, courage, and insight. They speak honestly about what is working, what is not, and what must change for children to thrive. Their hopes and dreams are powerful, but so are the obstacles they face, created by policies and systems that have too often deprioritized the well-being of young people at both the local and federal levels.


Ready to Take Action?

The stories in this book show what children and families are experiencing in real time. They reflect both the promise and the gaps in our systems, and they point directly to where action is needed. If you are ready to take the next step, we invite you to explore our 2026 Policy Agenda. It translates these lived experiences into concrete policy solutions that lawmakers can advance this session. Your advocacy begins with listening, but it grows when you turn insight into action. Continue your journey by learning what changes are needed and how you can help move them forward.


Make Young People the Policy Agenda

2026 Policy Agenda

Our 2026 Policy Agenda lays out the priorities needed to improve the well-being of children and families across Virginia. It focuses on five issue areas that shape daily life: Early Care and Education, Child Welfare, Mental Health, Family Economic Security, and Health Equity.

Download the 2026 Policy Agenda

Become an Advocate

It’s Time to Get Plugged Into the Work

Interested in connecting with the storytellers, collaborating, or learning more about advocacy opportunities like the storybook with Voices for Virginia’s Children? Hit the button to send us a message!


Giving

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Each gift you give enables the Voices team to further advocate for young people, conduct vital research, and educate the public.

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Become a Champion for Young People!

Transforming the lives of young people requires us to transform systems through our evidence-based, community-informed policy change. Your contribution to Voices provides us with the vital resources we need to continue our advocacy.