At The Imprint, amplifying the voices of young people with lived experience in the foster care or youth justice systems is critical to our mission. As it turns out, our readers like to hear from them just as much as we do. Our Youth Voice articles are regularly our most shared stories on social media, and our new monthly youth voice newsletter list has grown faster than any email list in our history. (You can join that list here.)
Below are a few of our favorite pieces from 2019.
Lead Reads
Love as Destiny: A Former Foster Youth’s Journey in Motherhood is a personal reflection from this fall’s Youth Voice Correspondent Katarina Sayally exploring the challenges of being a new mom as someone who grew up in the foster care system.
Always a fan favorite, our annual series called Child Welfare Ideas from the Experts looks at policy suggestions crafted by participants in the Foster Youth Internship Program (FYI), which is organized by the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute and pairs current and former foster youths with internships on Capitol Hill. Among the most interesting ideas from this year’s slate of policy ideas: savings plans for youth aging out of foster care, a mandate to track postsecondary success, and a “child-only” food stamps program for relative caregivers.
Also Read
For the second consecutive year, The Imprint held a nationwide youth voice writing contest, which generates dozens of powerful youth-written stories from young people all across the country. You’ll find the best submissions from 2019 here.
For Youth in Lock-Up, Family Connection is Key: Edson Ramirez spent time locked up in Los Angeles County’s Campus Kilpatrick and shared his experience with Chronicle reporter Jeremy Loudenback in this as-told-to piece.