Growing up is a challenging journey for any young person, but the path can be even more arduous for those in foster care. Despite our nation’s value on independence, research and experience indicate that the expectation of self-sufficiency for young
“Being in foster care felt like being incarcerated,” shared a young person with lived experience. Incarceration, the act of confining a person, is used for retribution, incapacitation, deterrence, and rehabilitation. Youth in foster care have not committed a crime so
Imagine if a stranger took you away from the only home you had ever known. Your family, friends, everything that was familiar – gone. Imagine the confusion, sadness, anger, and fear. This is the experience of a child being taken
Standardize Life Skills Selfless Love Foundation’s One Voice Impact youth leaders are vocal about the need for Florida to improve how it delivers life skills training courses to youth in foster care. These youth have experienced the challenges of accessing these
“Foster care is an imperfect solution to an impossible problem.” Those words from Lived Experience Expert, Gaelin Elmore, resonated with me as I attended the 2022 Texas Child Care Administrators Conference. Gaelin spoke about the importance of building a sense
Selfless Love Foundation CEO Ashley Brown and youth advocate Madison Kemp discuss how they are helping current and former foster youth enrich lives on 'America's Newsroom. https://www.foxnews.com/video/6317347178112
Youth involved in the foster care system need to have both a voice and a choice. Afterall, what is the point of using your voice if you don’t have any choices? Youth with lived experience who attended the Florida Coalition
Growing up in care, I was not confident. One of the struggles of growing up in care, especially after experiencing abuse, is being happy with who you are and trusting yourself to know what you need for yourself. I remember
Youth and young adults in foster care are more than just what they’ve experienced in child welfare. Their voices matter and should be heard. I had the opportunity to speak in front of legislators to advocate for the passing of
My experience with child welfare is short since it just recently started. I entered the world of foster care at 16, in July of 2020. My family members took me in as their foster child. I was also assigned a
