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Lisa Foehner
FYI Class of 2003
At age 23 just months after I graduated from college, I was selected to participate in the 2003 flagship Foster Youth Internship program with Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute (CCAI). It was truly was a unique opportunity for me share my story and my experience with federal lawmakers. During the internship I worked for US Senator Mary Landrieu in her office on Capitol Hill. I also participated in a Pew Commission on Foster Care focus group related to the federal financing and court oversight of foster care. I met with our nations leaders and joined them in press conferences in the US Capitol, and worked side by side with legislative staff on adoption casework. I did a little copying, and faxing too.
In just 6 short weeks of a summer internship program I forged personal relationships with others who shared my passion for improving the outcomes of foster youth. I received the most positive and supportive feedback I’d ever been given about my potential, my future and my ability to succeed. I gained fellowship from the CCAI staff and other interns, and met with advocates who knew my battles, and who wanted to keep fighting them for the thousands of other kids who age out of foster care each year without a forever family.
After the internship I used my new relationships to stay in Washington for a few years. I worked full time on the legislative staff for Senator Landrieu as well as a grant coordinator for Orphan Foundation of America. Since then I’ve returned to my home in St. Louis, dabbled in graduate school, worked in local government, and on the staff of another United States Senator, Claire McCaskill. While professionally I am no longer involved in foster care, I continue to be involved in National Adoption Day, Angels in Adoption, National Care Package Day and other local foster care advocacy efforts.
It’s been 12 years since I aged out of foster care. I’m happy to report that I’m doing alright. I’m 31 now, newly married, just bought my first home and even started my own business. Just last week a colleague of mine emailed me an encouraging article about foster youth. It made me happy that he thought of me, and that he made a connection. That’s what advocacy is all about. Making positive connections. |
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“I recommended the FYI program to a friend of mine who ultimately interned through FYI the year after I did. Like me, he has also stated that he felt this was a life changing opportunity for him. I continue to encourage foster care alumni who I know to apply for this program because I feel that this is a wonderful opportunity to see our nation's capitol, to learn about the political structure of our legislature and to meet other people who have similar life experiences to themselves.”
“Due to being an intern with FYI, CCAI asked me to help them pick interns for a couple of the other classes, which was an honor but a grueling decision to have to make. CCAI also contacts me every Christmas to send me cards and gifts, which makes me feel like they are remembering me and caring about my future. I have also nominated a number of people I know for Angels in Adoption and their selection has been one of the few ways I have felt that I have been able to thank them in the way that they truly deserve. Thanking these people has been a delight for me and for the people who were recognized and I feel that the legislators who made the choices were more educated for having learned about them.”
“The FYI program was where I discovered what I actually wanted to do; how I wanted to impact the foster care system. For nearly three years I had been passionate about reforming the foster care system, but it was during my time on the Hill that I realized how I wanted to change it. While direct service was rewarding to me, I felt like I wasn’t able to change the foster care system on a substantive level. The FYI program didn’t just teach me legislative ideas, it inspired me and emboldened me to create my own ideas.”
“Due to being an intern with FYI, CCAI asked me to help them pick interns for a couple of the other classes, which was an honor but a grueling decision to have to make. CCAI also contacts me every Christmas to send me cards and gifts, which makes me feel like they are remembering me and caring about my future. I have also nominated a number of people I know for Angels in Adoption and their selection has been one of the few ways I have felt that I have been able to thank them in the way that they truly deserve. Thanking these people has been a delight for me and for the people who were recognized and I feel that the legislators who made the choices were more educated for having learned about them.”
Information about the Program
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The Congressional Foster Youth Internship (FYI) Program provides talented college students who have spent their formative years in foster care an opportunity to intern in a Congressional office for a summer. The FYI program instructs these young adults in how best to bring their unique perspective and resilient spirit to bear as advocates for the needs of other waiting children.
Almost half of a million children reside in the U.S. foster care system and 123,000 of these children are eligible for adoption. Many of these children spend their teenage years in the foster care system, moving from home to home but never finding permanency. In 2008, 29,500 young people “aged out” of the U.S. foster care system. Many are only 18 years old and still need support and services. Several foster care alumni studies show that without a lifelong connection to a caring adult, these older youth are often left vulnerable to a host of adverse situations.
By bringing together former foster youth with Congressional offices, CCAI helps raise attention to the policy and procedural barriers that trap children in the foster care system. The FYI Program facilitates the awareness needed to engage Members in reforming the system by uniting lawmakers and foster care veterans. These foster care veterans are children who were either adopted after the age of fourteen or who were in foster care on their eighteenth birthday. After their time on Capitol Hill, the interns remain an instrumental link and resource to many Congressional offices. Some interns have even joined the Congressional staff after their internship.
The program also helps the interns in job readiness and employment. These foster youth are more easily able to secure jobs after college due to enhanced skills and the professional recommendations gained from the FYI Program. CCAI’s goal is to help these youth build their futures by gaining the experience, contacts, reaffirmation, and life skills they need to succeed. Here are some ways this program has forever impacted the success of these youth:
- Over 80 FYI Alumni have used their FYI experience as a foundation to go on and pursue a wide variety of distinguished careers
- 60 Members of Congress have benefitted directly from the program
- FYI’s 10 Briefings have provided firsthand knowledge to federal policymakers
- 1 FYI testified before House Ways and Means Committee hearing and spoke about his experience aging out of foster care
- 37% of FYIs have pursued graduate, law, and doctoral degrees
Foster Youth Internship Policy Reports
2009 Foster Youth Internship Report, "Using Yesterday to Shape Tomorrow: Uniting 500,000 Foster Youth Voices for One Mission"
2008 Foster Youth Internship Report: "Putting the 'Foster' Back Into Foster Care: Recommendations for Improving Foster Care and Adoption"
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