Urgency to Act: Unlocking Foster Youth Wellbeing

Our Impact

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NFYI Impact Statements & Examples of Our Influence Remarks from 2020 Congressional Leadership Academy member Japheth Kariuki-Ebanks on participation in Congressional Leadership Academy

“My Shadow Day experience in 2020 was surreal. Even in the midst of COVID when everything was constantly fluid, the momentum didn’t stop, and the program for my cohort was re-worked as conditions changed. I had the chance to participate in a year-long virtual training program that truly shaped me as an advocate. I brought my story to Congress, the media, and my community by engaging in virtual town halls, posing questions to our representatives, and organizing events and discussions of my own. This experience allowed me to gain confidence as a speaker, writer, and organizer. Knowing my efforts were going to better the conditions of my fellow foster youth was the most fulfilling aspect of the experience. We were all pleased that our efforts that year paid off when our key policy priorities were passed as part of the Supporting Foster Youth and Families Through the Pandemic Act, signed into law in December 2020”

Remarks from 2024 Congressional Leadership Academy member Celeste Walley on attending Shadow Day in DC

Remarks from 2024 Congressional Leadership Academy member Celeste Walley on attending Shadow Day in DC  “This past week I got the opportunity in real time to put my advocacy and connecting skills to the test. I got to grow into the person I want to be and nurture the young lady I have been striving to be for the past 10 years. This week truly was the accumulation of my accomplishments and reaffirming my purpose in the world. ‘To fight for those who they won’t let fight for themselves.’ This journey feels like the beginning of something I can’t put my finger on yet but it feels real and important and I am excited for life in ways I haven’t been before.

Thank you to @nfyinstitute for selecting me as a 2024 delegate. Thank you to each and every delegate who showed up and represented the communities that matter most to them. I am leaving changed, in both mind and heart by the impact of this shadow week.”

Remarks from 2024 Congressional Leadership Academy member Andrea Miller on attending Shadow Day in DC

A little humble brag, I was accepted into the National Foster Youth Institute’s @nfyinstitute shadow day program for the class of 2024. We’re a bunch of former foster kids out here on the hill advocating for our youth in care today. How special it is to have a voice and the courage and privilege to use it to make changes. This means so much more to me than ever as a foster parent now, and am so thankful.
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Remarks from 2024 Congressional Leadership Academy member Yusef Presley on attending Shadow Day in DC

It has been a complete honor to be a part of the National Foster Youth Institute Shadow Day. Not only have I made lifelong connections with individuals in this cohort, but I have also gained invaluable experience from a policy standpoint. Thank you for this amazing opportunity.

Remarks from 2024 Congressional Leadership Academy member Cadon Sagendorf on attending Shadow Day in DC

I am honored to share that I recently participated in the National Foster Youth Institute Congressional Leadership Academy’s “Shadow Day,” an incredible week filled with inspiration, learning, and impactful conversations.
I had the unique opportunity to meet with various members of Congress, including Gwen Moore Member Of Congress Chair Of The Congressional Caucus On Foster Youth, and my own representative Blake D. Moore
Throughout this experience I engaged in advocacy-driven workshops, focus groups, and in-depth discussions with passionate leaders and fellow advocates was both enlightening and empowering. The collaborative environment allowed us to exchange diverse perspectives and develop solutions that will hopefully make a significant impact on the lives of foster youth across the nation. I am excited to continue this journey and work towards creating a brighter future for all foster youth.

Remarks from Congressional Leadership Academy Member Junely Merwin on attending the 2022 Congressional Foster Youth Shadow Day in Washington, DC:

“The fact that I am here today is telling that I can do anything. I, and the other youth that are here, are changemakers; we’re making a difference.”

Remarks from Tasha Snowden, who attended Shadow Day first as a delegate and then returned in a leadership role as a Regional Coordinator:

“Thank you NFYI for this life-changing opportunity. [Being a Regional Coordinator has put] me in the position to be impacted by this generation of advocates who is about to take this world by storm. Watch out!”

Remarks from U.S. Rep. Danny K. Davis to NFYI's inaugural Congressional Leadership Academy class:

“As the chairman of the subcommittee with jurisdiction over child welfare, I am honored to speak regularly with foster youth about their views on federal policy. You all have the expertise: the reality of foster care and your lived experience is critical to making federal policy better. I am so thankful for your commitment to improving foster care for others by sharing your recommendations with policymakers.
“I want to recognize that it was the personal advocacy of so many foster youth that helped us enact key reforms to congregate care in the Families First Prevention Services Act. More work is absolutely necessary. But you should know that your community fought hard to enact those provisions and they would not be law today without your advocacy. [And] I want to recognize that it was foster youth whose advocacy helped to get $400 million to foster youth to help them make it through the pandemic.”

More information about NFYI's impact during the pandemic:

On March 12, 2020, as communities across the country were starting to understand the potential impact of coronavirus, the National Foster Youth Institute, Rep. Davis, and Rep. Karen Bass held a press conference in Washington, DC to raise concerns about how shutting down schools and services would have an outsized effect on foster youth and transition age youth. In addition to warning about potential impact, the group made recommendations on how schools and universities could support vulnerable young people.These concerns led NFYI to continue to hold a series of virtual events throughout the pandemic, directly connecting current and former foster youth with Members of Congress and the media. These virtual meetings informed multiple pieces of legislation, including the Supporting Foster Youth Through the Pandemic Act, The Dosha “DJay” Joi Immediate Coverage for Former Foster Youth Act, and successful national efforts to extend foster care for young people who aged out during the height of the pandemic.

Other quotes:

M. Sebrena Jackson, PhD — Associate Dean of Educational Programs and Student Services, University of Alabama

“’Not a Republican team or Democrat team but an American team dedicated to supporting foster youth!’ Thank you National Foster Youth Institute and Congressmen Bacon and Kildee for introducing the Fostering Postsecondary Success for Foster and Homeless Youth Act of 2021!”

Juvenile Justice Reform

To mark the 2021 Youth Justice Action Month, members of the Juvenile Justice Think Tank at National Foster Youth Institute launched a photography project called #LostDays to raise awareness about overreaches in juvenile justice, racial disparities, the need for greater accountability and diversion programs, and to lift up the voices of justice-involved youth. Participants shared mug shot-style photos they created that detailed the amount of time they’d spent in detention and why they’d been placed there. Reasons ranged from there not being enough foster homes available to being a child with no support system to the long-term effect of Jim Crow. The participants in the project lost a total of six-thousand days to the juvenile justice system — time spent away from school, work, family, and community.
The think tank also wrote a letter to the Biden Administration that was signed by hundreds of advocates across the country. They shared their letter and signatures with the Administration and were then invited to talk about their experiences first-hand with the White House Office of Public Engagement.

Mary Catherine Hartley, who joined NFYI in calling on the Biden Administration to address issues in the juvenile justice system:

“I work for a nonprofit that engages with youth in the juvenile justice system. The racial disproportionality and institutionalization of these children at a young age is overwhelming. Please help us make policy changes that will improve the potential for these young folks to overcome their struggles and setbacks and find success in their lives and for their communities.”

From Tony Vizcarrondo in his response to the juvenile justice work and to Shadow Day:

“To know that I was a part of change and that another foster youth won’t have to go through the same things as me is all I care about. This part of my journey has been amazing and is not over. I cannot wait to continue the work.”
  • Los Angeles Chapter membership has increased by 314% in 2023.
  • NFYI hired two LA-based interns who have been working to recruit and organize current and former foster youth in Los Angeles County around issues like homelessness and access to mental health care.
  • NFYI hosts bi-weekly Los Angeles Chapter meetings and monthly trainings. These training topics include policy development, strategic sharing, media and communications skills, local to national policy, organizing 101, campaign strategies, and other topics.
  • At a local level, NFYI has been working with county departments to create systemic change – including supporting the DCFS/OCP Youth Engagement Workgroup. The organization is also working towards an inaugural LA Shadow Day in 2024 and is connecting with local decision-makers to facilitate their involvement.

Additional LA Program Highlights

Organizing Internship:

The cohort of interns that worked with NFYI during the reporting period participated in a week-long orientation and received guidance from staff throughout their internship. Interns provided research for their departments, developed and led in-person and virtual trainings and workshops for their peers, and supported the expansion of NFYI’s internship program, which now includes two additional AmeriCorps interns in LA and 11 more interns across the country.

Los Angeles Chapter:

Thanks to strategic outreach by staff, organizing interns, and current members, NFYI’s Los Angeles chapter grew by 314% percent this year. Organizing training, professional development, and social activities created an exciting and engaging calendar that led to an increase in membership applications and all-around engagement. LA Chapter work is focused on four policy areas – housing, juvenile justice, mental health, and resources for parenting youth – with an overarching focus on the impact of the War on Drugs on foster youth. Chapter members also continued to play leadership roles in the LA Foster Power Coalition — a partnership among several organizations that serve and work with current and former foster youth in Los Angeles County. Regional summits, brainstorming sessions, and a shared agenda for radical change helped engage current/former foster youth from every corner of the county. NFYI is presenting some of this work at the statewide Child Welfare Roundtable in November.
For both LA-based Organizing Interns and the LA Local Chapter, NFYI engaged with a number of partners including: LA County Youth Commission, Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Fifth District, Tu Eres Tu, Young Women’s Freedom Center, Youth Moving On, GRACE/End Child Poverty CA, Inland Coalition of United Congregations (ICUC), Public Counsel, Foster Together Network (FTN), LA Valley College, Strength Based Community Change (SBCC), University of Southern California (USC) School of Social Work, LA County Department of Child and Family Services (DCFS), LA County Office of Child Protection (OCP), Kids in the Spotlight (KITS), and The LA Times, among others.
And NFYI welcomed a new Los Angeles Organizing Director, Pip Keogh, who works with our LA Chapter members and facilitates the LA Foster Power Coalition, a group of organizations that serve and organize former foster youth. Pip has both professional and personal lived experience in mental health services. He worked for the Jigsaw – National Center for Youth Mental Health in Ireland and the UCLA Health Prevention Center of Excellence. This work included the development of accessible youth mental health services and delivering culturally responsive mental health training and education to youth, communities, and service providers.

ORGANIZATIONAL UPDATES

So far this year, NFYI has engaged about 1,000 young adults through our programs, about half of whom have been in Los Angeles. During the entire reporting period for this grant, support from Pritzker and other funders have empowered the organization to touch more lives, expand staff capacity, strengthen partnerships and increase collaborations, and even sharpen the focus of NFYI overall.
During the reporting period, NFYI worked with a consultant to guide the organization through the strategic planning process. At a retreat in Los Angeles, the NFYI staff worked together to create a one-year and a three-year plan that would engage a growing number of foster youth voices, decisionmakers and increase the organization’s capacity to achieve mission. The staff also participated in successful teambuilding and professional development workshops.
NFYI’s second annual Congressional Leadership Academy (CLA) is winding down its 10-month program. Twenty-eight current and former foster youth participated in monthly skill-building and leadership training workshops, visited Washington, DC for the Congressional Shadow Day Experience, helped plan a national virtual Congressional Convening, and built lifelong relationships and strengthened their support networks. The Congressional Leadership Academy engaged with over 30 Members of Congress and Senators, including five California representatives: Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove (CA-37-D), Rep. Katie Porter (CA-47-D), Rep. Tony Cardenas (CA-29-D), Rep. Judy Chu (CA-27-D), and Rep. Barbara Lee (CA-12-D). The CLA has been engaging national decision-makers on policy topics such as juvenile justice reform and mental healthcare, particularly regarding alternative therapies in child welfare which we are developing a bill on.
Foster youth activists in NFYI’s National Voices program worked together to develop a national policy agenda for access to mental health alternative therapies and juvenile justice reforms. Their recommendations have been shared with national decisionmakers. And their ideas were represented by Executive Director Rebecca Louve Yao at the White House for “Improving Access to Mental Health Care,” a Biden administration proposal to make it easier to get in-network mental health care.

In January 2023, NFYI shifted some of its staff resources to the nationwide mobilization of current and former foster youth. This will allow NFYI to engage with more diverse current and former foster youth. The organization can now intentionally mobilize and take a deeper dive with youth from different geographic regions, with a greater range of experiences in the child welfare system and who represent different ethnic, racial and religious backgrounds. Furthermore, this work helps to connect more current and former foster youth to decision makers at federal, state, and local levels, increasing the number of decision-makers partnering with NFYI to create policies that will improve the child welfare system.