3rd Annual NFYI Virtual 5K The 2023 Virtual NFYI 5K race weekend is officially in the books! We appreciate your support! It was an astounding success thanks to you. To date we’ve raised $13,850.47 with participants from coast to coast! Our internal fundraising goal of $5,000 was met, and we are still working to reach our external fundraising goal of $20,000 for the #FosterYouth5K. If you’d still like to make a donation please visit our site. From October 6-8, National Foster Youth Institute supporters, members, staff/board members and former/current foster youth from around the country walked ..read more

NFYI Supports Lawsuit to Force State and County to Fulfill Obligation to Foster Youth—Calls for Parties to Meet Immediately Statement by Rebecca Louve Yao, Executive Director, National Foster Youth Institute WASHINGTON, D.C. — The class action lawsuit filed by public-interest law firms Public Counsel, the Alliance for Children’s Rights, Children’s Rights, and Munger, Tolles & Olsen LLP against the California Department of Social Services, California Health and Human Services Agency, California Department of Health Care Services, Los Angeles County, the Los Angeles County Department of Chil ..read more

National Foster Youth Institute Statement on Supreme Court Indian Child Welfare Act Ruling WASHINGTON, D.C. — The National Foster Youth Institute celebrates the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) and maintain tribal sovereignty to ensure that tribal youth remain connected and placed within their own communities. NFYI, an organization that supports the welfare of current and former foster youth rejoices in this decision. The system that preserves and gives preference to Native American families in foster care and adoption proceedings of Native children is imp ..read more

Statement from NFYI Regarding the Supreme Court Ruling on Service to Same-Sex Couples WASHINGTON, D.C. — The National Foster Youth Institute joins our partners, current and former foster youth, foster youth families, community members, and community organizers in condemning a decision handed down last week by the Supreme Court, which was yet another setback in the fight for equal rights and protections for LGBTQ+ Americans. The ruling in favor of a web designer in Colorado who refuses to create websites to celebrate same-sex weddings out of religious objections supports discrimination against ..read more

On Saturday, May 6th, I had the honor of attending NFYI’s 2023 Afternoon of Learning & Celebration. The event was in honor of national poverty and child welfare expert and advocate David Ambroz, who received the 2023 Champion for Youth and Children Award. The event also served as a way to celebrate the National Foster Youth Institute’s work to create better outcomes for those impacted by the foster care system. I was compelled to attend the fundraiser, as May is National Foster Care Month and Mental Health Awareness Month. I am a former foster youth and have been fortunate enough to meet o ..read more

Which appears to also be the cover page for that section: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2023/03/11/aging-out-of-foster-care-housing/11438451002 ..read more

Hello, current foster youth, and alums of foster care! We invite you to apply to be a Foster Youth Shadow Day Delegate for the 2023 Congressional Leadership Academy Program in Washington, D.C. Click here to apply. To learn more, keep reading. The Congressional Leadership Academy Program is an opportunity for young people to participate in a robust 10-month leadership experience that connects foster youth to decision-makers. Throughout this ten-month experience, Delegates will learn about specific topics centered in NFYI’s policy agenda and priorities to the Congressional Caucus on Foster Youth ..read more

Bipartisan caucus remains committed to protecting the rights and improving the welfare of 400,000 children in foster care and 20,000 young adults aging out WASHINGTON, DC — One of the largest bipartisan caucuses in Congress will be led by a new group of co-chairs from both sides of the aisle who are committed to confronting challenges facing the nation’s child welfare system and finding effective ways to support foster youth. Beginning in January, the Congressional Caucus on Foster Youth (CCFY) will be co-chaired by Congressmembers Gwen Moore (D-WI), Don Bacon (R-NE), Sydney Kamlager (D-CA), a ..read more

LOS ANGELES — Today the National Foster Youth Institute joins our fellow community organizers, fighters for equity and social justice, and activists across Los Angeles in condemning the language in the recording released over the weekend. We also join the calls for Nury Martinez, Gil Cedillo, and Kevin de León to resign from the LA City Council. They are not fit to lead our city forward. Giving up leadership positions while remaining on the council and carefully crafted apologies are not enough. Their language not only exposed their anti-Black and anti-Indigenous racism and their homophobia, b ..read more

Team — I wanted to make sure you saw the proclamation I’m forwarding below that was issued by President Joe Biden for National Youth Justice Action Month. In addition to covering details about what the Administration is doing to address issues within the juvenile justice system, this year’s proclamation includes language and ideas developed by NFYI members who are part of our Juvenile Justice Think Tank. We appreciate that the Administration is doing important work to reduce the number of youth who are incarcerated in our country and are gratified that they are listening to the voices of young ..read more