On January 28, 2026, The Mockingbird Society celebrated its 2026 Youth Advocacy Day. The event worked to raise awareness of the nonprofit’s advocacy topics by bringing together youth who have experienced the foster care system and/or homelessness and asking legislators for support. Events like this is just one way The Mockingbird Society works to protect youth in Washington State.
“The Mockingbird Society was founded on the idea that young people with lived experience of youth welfare systems like foster care should be involved in policymaking and decision-making spaces,” explains Zivit Shechter-Nissim, chief operations officer and interim executive director. “We believe that lived experience experts should have a voice in transforming the systems that impact them most.”
From Mockingbirds to Legislative Sessions
In 2000, Jim Theofelis founded The Mockingbird Society, named after Harper Lee’s classic. Shechter-Nissim explains one quote from the book stands out and represents what the nonprofit is all about: “Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don’t eat up people’s gardens, don’t nest in corncribs, they don’t do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.”
Theofelis wanted to provide opportunities for “mockingbirds” in the foster system and those experiencing homelessness to sing their song – to tell their experiences to those who make the decisions that affect them.
The first project was a monthly newspaper called The Mockingbird Times that was written by the youth themselves. The last two and half decades have seen major growth in their mission through new projects and programs.
Since 2004, The Mockingbird Society has been doing a Youth Advocacy Day in Olympia during the legislative session.
“Since Mockingbird’s founding, our work has expanded to include working with foster families and child-placing agencies to improve outcomes for both young people and their caregivers,” Shechter-Nissim shares. “Recognizing a clear link between experience in the child welfare system and homelessness, Mockingbird also began addressing issues around youth homelessness in 2013. We have also expanded our Youth Programs and our Public Policy & Advocacy work.”
Current Projects for The Mockingbird Society
Today, The Mockingbird Society has three main programs for youth in foster care or homelessness. The Youth Programs provides these kids with a platform to share their experiences. “Through the engagement of six statewide chapters, we elevate the voices of these lived experience experts so they can collaboratively create informed solutions to the issues that impact them most,” explains Shechter-Nissim.
Creating change is really what the nonprofit is all about. And creating change with those that are directly impacted is the crux of their mission. Their Public Policy & Advocacy program does this through the development of an annual policy agenda created with youth and young adults who have gone through these systems and their community, media and legislative partners. “Our annual legislative agenda is shaped by youth-led policy proposals,” shares Shechter-Nissim. “Young people approve the agenda and participate in advocacy to create change during the legislative session.”
The Youth Advocacy is part of this. Throughout the day, young people met with legislators, attended the public hearing for SB 5940/HB 2455 and gave testimony in support of the bill.
We all know it takes a village to raise a child. The third program, the MOCKINGBIRD FAMILY, is their own alternative to the foster care system that emulates this belief. Shechter-Nissim explains their system leads to “higher foster parent retention and provides culturally relevant care.” Through the program, experienced foster parents provide support and guidance to six to 10 foster families, simulating an extended family dynamic that is so important to raising a child.
The Mockingbird Society’s Future
Yvonne-Monique Aviva is taking over the executive director position beginning March 2026. As The Mockingbird Society enters a new chapter, its goal is clear. “Mockingbird’s goal for the next 25 years is to continue to elevate the voices of young people with lived experience in impactful spaces, provide opportunities for personal and professional growth for these young people, and continue co-creating safe and meaningful communities for these young people—all while centering racial equity and trauma-informed practices,” shares Shechter-Nissim.
You can help youth in foster care and those facing homelessness by following the Mockingbird Society on Facebook, joining their Linktree, or signing up for emails.
