FosterClub is looking for youth with lived experience in the foster care system to apply for paid internships that will provide leadership training and work to improve the child welfare system, educate others and change some perceptions about foster youth.
The Oregon-based national nonprofit will be accepting applications for its 2022 All-Star Internship program through Feb. 15. The club will be holding two intensive, five-week orientation, training and event sessions this summer, each to be followed by a week in November in Washington, D.C.
One session runs June 13 through July 15; the other runs July 11 through Aug. 12. Each session will have about 12 interns. They will receive a weekly living allowance, cellphone and/or internet stipends and more than 50 hours of leadership training. Upon completion, interns will each receive a $1,000 honorarium.
Participants will have the opportunity to “understand their personal experiences and empower themselves and peers to connect with other youth to build a community of support, identity, and understanding,” according to FosterClub’s call for All-Star interns. “Participants learn to reframe their foster care experiences as relevant expertise and to use that expertise effectively to motivate their peers, child welfare staff, and the public to action on behalf of children and youth in care.”
Applicants must be 18 to 24 years old as of June 13. Other eligibility requirements include first-hand experience in the foster care system, proof of vaccination for travel, and ability to travel to multiple states for conferences and events. Participants must also have access to high-speed internet, and FosterClub will work with people to ensure participants have adequate bandwidth.
The internship and trainings are scheduled to take place virtually and in-person due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.