Former foster youth interning in Congress this summer will get a little help from the Sara Start Fund for Foster Youth, a soon to be launched venture by CCAI. With involvement from business and community partners, the Sara Start Fund is designed to help former foster youth get a start on their professional lives by providing a stipend for a business wardrobe and informal career counseling.
The Sara Start Fund will work in tandem with CCAI’s Foster Youth Internship (FYI) program, which places former foster youth in congressional offices to advocate for the 423,000 in care across the country. Interns in the program must attend college and demonstrate leadership skills on campus. They have beaten the odds; a mere 3 percent of youth from the system graduate from college.
The Sara Start Fund is named after beloved grandmother and child advocate Sara Rosenberg.
Sara Rosenberg, pictured with CCAI Advisory Board member Lindsay Ellenbogen
The application form is now available: Word doc or PDF.
The application deadline is January 6, 2012 at 11:59pm Eastern Time. CCAI must receive your completed application (including the application form, resume, transcript, essay, short answer questions, and 2 letters of recommendation) by this date via email to
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. You will be notified of the selection committee's decision by February 17, 2012.
The dates for the 2012 Foster Youth Internships Program are May 29, 2012-July 28, 2012.
Please click here for Frequently Asked Questions. Review all FAQs and the application form before calling or emailing with questions. Contact Emily Collins at 202-544-8500 or
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.
Click here to watch a video made about last year's FYI interns to see the incredible experience they had as part of the FYI Program.
"Spending all summer in Washington, DC advocating change for foster youth all over the nation will forever be one of the greatest memories in my life" -Mason, FYI 2008
"CCAI opened doors and provided incredible opportunities for me" -Keshia, FYI 2009
FYI Alumni Spotlight
Nyanja Nzabamwita Brodin
2004 Foster Youth Intern
As a survivor of Genocide in 1994, I left Rwanda at as a ten-year-old and was taken into the foster care system in the United States. In 2004, I participated in CCAI’s Foster Youth Internship program. Through this program, I was placed in Senator Inhofe’s office to learn about federal child welfare policy and share my own story of growing up in the foster care system. Because I understand the importance of permanency in the lives of children, I knew I needed to help children in the U.S and my home country of Rwanda.
Since this internship I have returned back to my home town in Rwanda, as I was determined to assist vulnerable children like I had once been. As an advocate, I have realized that things are often made more complicated than necessary. I devote much of time to working on behalf of children living in institutions and promote adoption and formal care. I founded ISHAMI Advocacy for Children, Rwanda. Through this, over 70 children were adopted in Rwanda. I have also worked closely with the Orphan Institute and to my joy have spoken at numerous events as the keynote speaker. I currently live with my husband and two children in Sweden.
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2009
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FYI Successes
100 former foster youth have used this experience as a foundation to go on and pursue a variety of distinguished careers
60 Members of Congress have heard the voice of former foster youth and are now educated about issues affecting their lives
10 Congressional briefings have provided firsthand knowledge to policymakers
125 policy recommendations have been presented to policymakers
37% of FYIs have gone on to pursue graduate, law, and doctoral degrees
47% of FYIS enter careers in social service
CCAI's Foster Youth Internship (FYI) Program is a highly esteemed Congressional Internship for young adults who spent time in the foster care system. The FYI program began in 2003 as an effort to raise awareness to federal policymakers about the needs and unique perspectives of those who spent time in foster care. As part of the program, CCAI organizes retreats, advocacy trainings, and various networking opportunities with experts in the child welfare field. Throughout the summer, the FYI interns spend time researching about policy issues affecting foster children across the country. These experiences allow the interns to create a policy report that is presented at a Congressional briefing and released to child welfare advocates across the country.
As a result of the program, federal policymakers are shown firsthand the experiences of youth in foster care, and as a result go on to use their new knowledge to inspire legislative change. Interns participating in this program benefit both personally and professionally, gaining experience and skills that will bolster their careers for years to come and with a foundation to be lifelong advocates for improving the foster care system.
