Foster Youth Internship Program^®

About

Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute’s (CCAI) Foster Youth Internship (FYI) Program® is a competitive national internship for students and recent graduates with lived experience in foster care who are interested in federal policy and advocacy. Participants write a federal child welfare policy report and are placed in the Washington, D.C. legislative offices of Members of the U.S. Congress. 

Applications for 2025 Foster Youth Internship Program® are now CLOSED

The Foster Youth Internship Program® began in 2003 as an effort to raise awareness to federal policymakers about the needs and unique perspectives of individuals who have experienced the U.S. foster care system. This is an immersive seven-week, educational, and civic experience in Washington, D.C. with a comprehensive onboarding to ensure participants are well-prepared for effective advocacy and leadership development in the nation’s capital. CCAI works with congressional offices to secure a congressional internship for each participant. In addition, CCAI organizes an orientation, advocacy trainings, networking, and various other professional development opportunities. These combined experiences allow the participants to create a federal policy report that is presented to U.S. Congress, Administration, Department of Health and Human Services, and released to policymakers and advocates across the country.

Watch the 2024 FYI Program Congressional Briefing!

As a result of the program, federal policymakers learn firsthand the experiences of youth in foster care and go on to use their new knowledge to inspire legislative change to federal child welfare policy. The published federal policy report and its recommendations from lived experts have gained national recognition and have led to legislative reforms in the United States' foster care system. Participants benefit both personally and professionally, gaining experience and skills that will bolster their careers for years to come. As of 2025, there are 254 exceptional alumni of the Foster Youth Internship Program® to date.

Participants are selected because they display both the interest and skill necessary to become effective advocates for change. The Foster Youth Internship Program® is uniquely designed to develop and strengthen these advocacy skills as well as provide opportunities to pursue careers in federal policy and other professional fields. Participants are given an inside look at the federal legislative process and an opportunity to play an active role in developing federal policy. The program participants have found this experience to be invaluable to their efforts entering the professional workforce.

Through the generosity of CCAI donors, CCAI covers the vast majority of major costs to limit financial barriers to participation in the Foster Youth Internship Program® as much as possible. CCAI provides a monthly stipend during the remote preparatory onboarding and a weekly stipend while in Washington, D.C., and covers major expenses such as housing in Washington, D.C., transportation to/from Washington, D.C., and public transportation to/from the congressional office internship. Interns are required to live in dormitory-style housing assigned by CCAI for the duration of the program and to adhere to the guidance of their Programs and Resident Assistant (PRA), an alumnus/alumna of the FYI Program. Participants are responsible for some smaller expenses. Participants are not considered employees of CCAI nor their congressional office.

CCAI organizes an orientation program meant to familiarize the interns with CCAI and Congress by inviting senior congressional staff members to participate in the training sessions. CCAI staff and volunteers also provide one-on-one research support for the interns in their weekly meetings as they prepare for their congressional report and briefings. Various networking opportunities, trainings and receptions are offered to the FYI Program interns throughout the summer.

For more information, please contact CCAI's Programs Coordinator, Lisette DuFore Benz, at [email protected].