What have our Foster Leaders been up to in 2022?
As 2022 comes to an end, we've been reflecting on an amazing year of program and network growth. We wanted to share a few highlights from our Fostering Education programs, LGBTQ2S+ Leaders, Fellowship, and Community Board!
We plan to keep expanding our leadership and support programs for Minnesota Fosters. We’re scaling up to meet the needs Fosters have identified, including scaling our budget from $600,000 to $900,000 in 2023. Every gift - from $5 to $50 to $500 - allows us to elevate Foster voice and support their stability, leadership and advocacy!
Fostering Education
Our Fosters in school have started the year off strong, with others planning their enrollment for next semester! We are thrilled to see the Fostering Independence Grants begin disbursing funds, and are hopeful to hear about the impact they are having on Fosters.
Our team also went to California to connect with the Fostering Academic Achievement Network, the group at the forefront of foster care and education.
Next year holds a lot of exciting growth plans, including more social events for Fosters to connect. Stay tuned!
LGBTQ2S+ Leaders
Our 2021-22 human-centered design program worked with LGBTQ+ and Two-spirit Fosters from across the state, who shared their expertise on the challenges and opportunities for LGBTQ2S+ Fosters in the MN child welfare system. In addition to educating and directing our team on advocacy priorities, the group took several actions to test out their ideas! Check out more information on these actions, including their photovoice project and Star Tribune oped.
We've excited to release our Minnesota Fosters LGBTQ2S+ Know Your Rights Guide! Directed by our Foster leaders and created with support from the Institute to Transform Child Protection and in consultation with Gender Justice, we hope this guide is just the start of clarifying LGBTQ2S+ Foster rights in care and county/state practices for remedy if those rights are violated.
Our design programs are on pause until the winter of 2023-24 because of our Minnesota Promise campaign. We are excited for the next topic to be revealed through that process!
Fellowship
We wrapped up our second-annual Fellowship cohort in July! For five month, a group of Fosters from across the state (Moorhead to St. Paul, Bemidji to St. Cloud) invested in their leadership development. The cohort dove into understanding their individual strengths and value, strategic storytelling, foster care history and data, and advocacy skills.
O
ur 2023 application will open in January-sign up for an information session here!
Community Board
As our moral compass, the Community Board guides all that we do. Without their leadership, vulnerability and expertise, we simply could not do this work. We are so grateful for them!
In September, we kicked off Year 2 of the Community Board with 11 Fosters, representing a range of experiences of care from across the state. Meet them here.
T
he Community Board has been hard at work these past three months, overseeing the launch of our statewide Minnesota Promise campaign and approving our 2023 Legislative Agenda (which we'll release in January)!
We are excited for what 2023 has in store for our ladder of leadership. Every opportunity for Fosters to connect with their identity peers, form trusting relationships with our team, and grow in their leadership and advocacy skills helps build our movement for Foster Rights.
We hope you'll join us, by joining our programs, spreading the word, and supporting these important opportunities for Minnesota Fosters.
In solidarity,
Ariana, Elena, Hannah, and Hoang
TLDR: This year brought powerful growth in our relational programs with Fosters! Check out updates on our website and support our growth in 2023!
