National Foster Youth Institute

At we work to uplift, amply and support in their endeavors to create policy change and lead successful lives!

The campaign highlights the true stories of current and former foster youth who continue to blaze their own trail, despite what labels others in society try to place upon them.

Share your story here: https://forms.gle/D9DYLsfpswqAJUSE9

Don't miss your opportunity to be part of the next cohort of 's Congressional Leadership Academy. This program provides a 10-month leadership experience that connects young people with lived experience to decision makers and allows them to share their personal experiences to help shape legislation and policy recommendations specific to the National Foster Youth Institute's policy focuses for the year. Help incorporate into all areas of policy.

Applications open until Dec. 18❗

Access the application here:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfKdrxNoHXfBPLni0t7u8yZIsnqMGWDz1J_qb_qoPlXaPZ8sw/viewform

Creating our own destinies and defying the odds despite what society says. "This is What They Called Me," but "This is Who I Am." The power of !

Looking for hands-on work experience in the healthcare field? IFOSTER’s PHA TAY AmeriCorps offers a 10-month paid internship where you can learn core healthcare skills and serve patients at Eisner Health clinics across LA County.

Apply today https://bit.ly/PHAAmeriCorps

sends a special thank you to our entire community including all our young people, donors, sponsors, supporters, members of Congress, advocates and our partners. We appreciate all of you for contributing to our community helping to uplift, amplify and empower !

The campaign calls on to share and tell their firsthand story of finding success in life despite negative stereotypes that society holds around foster youth and the child welfare system.

Interested in participating? Fill out this form to join in showcasing "This is What They Called Me/This is Who I Am."
https://forms.gle/hyVuAs6YoydX2eH57

This we want to say "Thank You." Today, more than 250,000 children are placed into the foster care system each year in the United States. And statistics continue to show, many foster youth are aging out of the system and have nowhere to turn or resources to support them.

We know a better child welfare system that is inclusive of the lived experiences of foster youth is possible. This year, we’ve seen foster youth and their families have a seat at the table alongside legislators, policymakers, decision makers, families and advocates.

We must continue to create a pipeline of current and former foster youth who work with decision makers to transform the systems that impact children and families. We can’t do this work without your help!

Donate today and all new donations will be matched dollar for dollar by a member of our Board of Directors. https://secure.lglforms.com/form_engine/s/AbOPuO79NpQmVjcWuP6RaQ

Thank you for everything you have done to elevate and support foster youth voices this year. Your support has helped to support the National Foster Youth Institute programming including Congressional Foster Youth Shadow Day, our National Voices, Internships and our local Los Angeles chapter. This Giving Tuesday we’re asking you to help us ensure this critical work continues. We can’t do this work with you! Please donate today and continue to empower .

https://secure.lglforms.com/form_engine/s/AbOPuO79NpQmVjcWuP6RaQ

This we continue to uplift through our campaign highlighting "This is What They Called Me/This is Who I Am." The campaign sheds light on the true stories of current and former foster youth who have found success, creating their own reality and not giving in to society's standards.

We hope you'll join us! This Giving Tuesday, our Board Chair, Wendy Smith Meyer will be matching all new donations up to $25,000. This means your gift will go twice as far in supporting foster youth advocacy efforts! Please consider donating today!

https://secure.lglforms.com/form_engine/s/AbOPuO79NpQmVjcWuP6RaQ

Though society tries to place labels on , works alongside young people to ensure that society's negative perceptions are not the reality for current and former foster youth, who work hard to positively transform the child welfare system each and every day.

Today, celebrates Native American Heritage Day, honoring the profound history, traditions, and cultures of Native Americans, thus highlighting their impactful contributions to society and the world at large.

Our team would like to wish all our supporters, partners, advocates, families, and from around the country a Happy Thanksgiving holiday!

With the Thanksgiving holiday right around the corner, we wanted to give thanks to our current and former foster youth that have participated in the campaign. We’re highlighting young people and giving them a platform to tell their own stories to the world!

Thank you to the many who continue to show that "what they called me," isn’t "who I am."

We must lift . We’ve seen countless young people and families impacted by the child welfare system. There has never been a more urgent time to invest in foster youth to positively transform foster care.

The National Foster Youth Institute has set an organizational goal to raise $25,000 to continue the fight to empower current and former foster youth and families to make their voices heard.

Donate today and help us reach our goal. https://secure.lglforms.com/form_engine/s/AbOPuO79NpQmVjcWuP6RaQ

: Our team presented at a recent Youth Villages workshop in Las Vegas entitled, "Achieving Success: Partnering with Transition-Age Young Adults for Strong Mental Health." During the two-day workshop ,NFYI had the opportunity to present on Fostering Media Connections.

Lived Experience Experts Prepare to Lead Interactive Achieving Success Workshop - Youth Villages More than 20 young people with lived experience in foster care, mental health and juvenile justice systems flew into Las Vegas today to prepare to lead the Achieving Success: Partnering with Transition-Age Young Adults for Strong Mental Health Workshop.

Today, pays respect on Transgender Day of Remembrance, paying tribute to those lives that have been tragically lost to anti-transgender violence. At NFYI we strongly believe everyone regardless of their gender identity or expression has the right to live in world without fear of their safety. We honor the memory of lives lost in acts of anti-transgender violence.

We're so excited to have our Director of Communications Kelsey Nicole Nelson participating in an upcoming Meltwater Exchange. RSVP now to hear her entitled "Mastering Storytelling, Branding, and Youth Engagement in Nonprofit MarComms" on Thursday, December 7th, at 11am Eastern (US) time.

Experts Exchange: Mastering Storytelling, Branding, and Youth Engagement in Non-Profit MarComms, Thu, 7 Dec. 2023 at 11:00, America/New_York mCommunity - Experts Exchange: Mastering Storytelling, Branding, and Youth Engagement in Non-Profit MarComms - Thursday 7 December 2023

We can't wait! Excited to support.

We are so excited to support our board member Marcus Scribner in his upcoming new film, "How I Learned to Fly." In the film, he and his brother become foster youth. The film explores the brothers mental health, after being mysteriously abandoned by their parents. The brothers "uncover moments of beauty, newfound meaning and enduring love that strengthen their bond despite the uncertain road ahead."

How I Learned to Fly Trailer #1 (2023) Check out the new trailer for How I Learned to Fly starring Lonnie Chavis and Marcus Scribner! ► Visit Fandango: https://www.fandango.com/?cmp=Indie_YouTube_...

The "This is What They Called Me, This Is Who I Am" campaign seeks to uplift and amplify , empowering them to craft and create their own narratives, not depending on society's labels.

To join in on the campaign, please fill out this form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc46e4fW2LYkrKxL99M1SsKv-jlWXeLm5zzw1E32lIWAtCxHw/viewform

A special thanks to all the current and former foster youth who joined our “National Voices” team in Kentucky for our “Meet and Greet” in collaboration with IFOSTER.

Thanks to everyone who joined our "Meet and Greet" in partnership with iFoster today! We enjoyed all who came out in support of !

This month, iFoster partnered with National Foster Youth Institute and gathered in Kentucky to amplify and connect them to decision-makers paving the way for positive change.

We'd like to send a very special Happy Birthday shout out to national poverty and child welfare expert and advocate David Ambroz, who was the recipient of the 2023 Champion for Youth and Children Award. 🎂 🎉David also has supported our Congressional Foster Youth Shadow Day and CLA.

celebrates Transgender Awareness Week this week, supporting the LGBTQ+ community, continuing to uplift and honor our trans community.

For so long society has placed labels upon foster youth without truly knowing their story. At we work with , with a staff of primarily lived experience experts to craft policy agendas to create positive change within the child welfare system. The "This is What They Called Me, This is Who I Am" campaign seeks to have current for former youth showcase who they are, by their own definition with the hashtag .

To tell your story and participate, please fill out this form: https://forms.gle/XdEVUAAF72oXDbLJ9

Our "This is What They Called Me, This is Who I am" campaign continues to highlight former foster youth in their own voice, using their own agency to define who they are. works year in and out to uplift and amplify, .

To participate in the campaign, simply fill out this form: https://forms.gle/XdEVUAAF72oXDbLJ9

Join National Foster Youth Institute’s 2024 Congressional Leadership Academy Fellowship for the opportunity to connect with policymakers, shape legislation, and engage with federal foster care policy!

Apply by December 31, 2023: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfKdrxNoHXfBPLni0t7u8yZIsnqMGWDz1J_qb_qoPlXaPZ8sw/viewform?pli=1

thanks and salutes all our veterans this Veterans Day!

In continuing our mission to amplify and uplift we are proud to continue our campaign, which helps to break the stigmas surrounding current and former foster youth, allowing them to speak in their own voice. At we work alongside our lived experience experts, helping them to advocate and tell their own story.

To join the campaign, simply fill out this form: https://forms.gle/YzwJuvRhqyUgu4Vp7

A special thanks to everyone who joined us in Las Vegas as we presented at the Achieving Success Convening.

Presenters included: Director of Government Relations Cortez Carey, NFYI National Policy and Organizing Director Zahra Marin and Nyamekye Reynolds, a 2023 graduate of the Congressional Leadership Academy. NFYI Executive Director Rebecca Louve Yao was also on hand to support the presentation which focused on creating meaningful partnerships with young people and creating authentic youth engagement.

Our team is in Las Vegas presenting at “Achieving Success: Partnering with Transition-Age Young People for Strong Mental Health.”

Our Director of Government Relations Cortez Carey, kicked off our session, “More for Your Mental: Authentic Youth Engagement.”

November is , and would like to use this month to highlight the 407,000 in foster care in the United States and the 117,000 waiting to be adopted, according to the latest report from the Children's Bureau at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Children and Families (ACF).

Our members with the LA Chapter recently attended the 2023 Elevate Youth CA Convening. EYC is a program of California Department of Health Care Services funded through Prop 64 and implemented by the The Center at Sierra Health Foundation. EYC supports community leaders who are addressing substance use disorder by investing in youth leadership development and activism of youth of color and 2S/LGBTQ+ youth ages 12-26.

We are so excited to share an upcoming event as part of our "National Voices" program helping to expand and connect them to decision makers across the country.

We invite current and former foster youth to an upcoming "Meet & Greet" with and IFOSTER in Kentucky.

Register here ➡️ https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSePamgUIVe52zZrEfVcKTz13WtY2nTVoUm0pskpo5W90uUMsQ/viewform

This coming Monday, invites you to join our wellness circle. With so much happening in and around the world, we want to create a safe space centering wellness, mental health and well-being. We hope to come together to uplift each other.

Register for Zoom Meeting:
https://nfyi-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYvcuyorzkqGdwrdPnPwKUeUYBPkwy3IWSD #/registration

If you have questions please contact Brittney Venter, LMSW, NFYI’s Mental Health & Wellness Program Coordinator at [email protected].