March 2019Vol. 20, No. 2Internship Program Teaches Youth in Foster Care to Prepare Congressional Reports
The Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute has an internship program for youth who have spent time in foster care. The Foster Youth Internship (FYI), which began in 2003, aims to raise the awareness of federal policymakers about the needs and perspectives of children and youth in foster care. During their time in the FYI program, interns participate in retreats, advocacy trainings, and various networking opportunities with experts in the child welfare field.
FYI also gives interns the opportunity to write a policy report using their newly acquired knowledge of federal policy. The interns write the reports on subjects they are personally passionate about and use their experiences of being in foster care to make recommendations to improve the foster care system. This report is published annually and presented at both congressional and White House briefings.
To learn more about the FYI program, visit http://www.ccainstitute.org/programs/view/foster-youth-internship-about. To read past congressional reports written by interns, visit http://www.ccainstitute.org/programs/view/foster-youth-internship-congressional-report.