August 2024

Hi FG Member!

Happy Labor Day FG Community! As we celebrate the hard work and dedication of all workers, we're excited to announce the launch of our brand new monthly newsletter. This newsletter is a labor of love, designed to bring you valuable insights, inspiring stories, and updates on our community.

On the first Monday of each month, we’ll be sharing community updates that include insights from our Thriver Stories, thoughts from Panels, our Theme Release for the following month, and more about what we have cooking up in the Foster Greatness Community!

Table of Contents

• August’s Theme Recap - Advocacy

  • Insights from Thrivers ✨

  • August Advocacy Panel Highlights 🎤

  • What Else is New? 🤔

August’s Theme Recap - Advocacy

Over the last month, we at Foster Greatness have been diving into powerful conversations and taking action to uplift the voices of individuals who have been impacted by the foster system to deepen our community’s understanding of advocacy. With the power of our staff with lived experience, we were able to open up space for authentic conversations with lived experience leaders to better explore and unpack the advocacy experience. With a platform and space to uplift and empower our community, we chose to focus on advocacy this month to help highlight the truths that come with using our voices to create systems change.

We hosted FIVE remarkable advocates with lived experience on our Thriver Stories podcast last month! We were joined by experts: Scout Hartley, Tony Parsons, Danisha Keating, Faith Sharp, and Stormy Lukasavage on our Thriver Stories podcast. With each episode taking a deep dive into the intricacies of advocacy - the good and the unfortunate - we were honored to amplify the voices of those in our community.

We learned that over the past several decades in the foster system reform movement, there has been a shift toward using the voices of those with lived experience to inform or inspire change. We also learned that, to our dismay, this has left advocates tokenized, grieving, exploited, and so much more. In our conversation with our five Thrivers from this month, we have started to learn more about how we can change the system and approach our community and organizations take to advocacy.

We are just starting to identify what standards need to be revisited and set by us, for us.

Insights from Thrivers ✨ 

August Advocacy Panel Highlights 🎤 

Last month, Foster Greatness had the incredible opportunity to host a LIVE panel discussion 🎙️ on the world of advocacy and all the talks that have yet to have space made for them. We learned from advocates about the importance of inviting in the voices 👂🏼 of those who are often left out and disregarded. We learned that advocates are tired of advocating for the same things over and over and seeing so little change and so few listening. We learned that advocates need a space where they can tell their truths 🤩 , free of the fear of retaliation and harm, while uplifting each other and making change.

Our advocates continue to show up and prove, time and time ⏰ again, why listening with an open heart 🩷 is so critical in this work. We at Foster Greatness know that diversity, equity, and inclusion are essentials in our work, but so is belonging ✨.

As our panelists highlighted, advocates need to be included from the precipice of every decision. Our leaders need to be involved, valued, and part of the decision-making process in establishing all programs and services that are offered - right from the “get-go”. Here at Foster Greatness, we are leaning in and embracing every word, every ounce of wisdom, and every individual that ever joins our community. We hope you lean in with us and continue to bring more people into these spaces.

Watch the full discussion below!

What Else is New? 🤔 

We are excited to announce the launch of a NEW SPACE 🤩 in the Foster Greatness Community! For those with lived experience and those who advocate for and with former/current foster youth🎗️, we have a private, brave space just for you!

Do you want to engage with other people that share in the advocacy experience? Do you need a brave space to have authentic and pure conversations with other advocates, free of retaliation and curation? We have a space just for that! Join the Foster Greatness Community today as an advocate and we will personally invite you to the Advocate Space.

And that’s not all! We know that our community is filled with creatives 🎨, entrepreneurs🕴🏿, and business thinkers 🧠. Across the nation, we’ve heard about the challenges our entrepreneurial community spirits have faced with building a business. As an organization filled with a founder’s spirit ourselves, we wanted to create an ongoing monthly event 🗓️ to connect, empower, and learn from and with other individuals with lived experience who are on their business journey as well!

Starting in September, we’ll be launching our monthly meetings for lived experience founders and aspiring founders to connect 🤩, learn together and from each other, and expand their networks! 

Did you think that was all? No way! We have even more for you!

Starting TODAY 🗓️ our Thriver Stories podcast is OFFICIALLY streaming 🎧 on ALL PODCAST STREAMING PLATFORMS 🤩 ! That’s right! You can now listen to the wisdom, truth, and expertise all all our Thrivers right from your phone! Any time, anywhere.

Tune into Thriver Stories on any of these platforms!

Upcoming Theme and Events 📆 

We’re going back to school! - September’s Theme: Education 📚

Many know September as the bustling time of the year when students 👩🏽‍🎓 of all ages are heading back to school, and here at Foster Greatness we know that sometimes this brings up many more challenges for our community. In September, we are going to be having intentional conversations and events centered on the educational journey for individuals who are or have experienced foster care. It’s time to unpack the obstacles those in our community encounter on their education journeys.

Tune in 🎧 to our Thriver Stories podcast episodes 🎙️ each week to hear directly from current and former foster youth on the topics that matter most to them!

📆 Check out our events below to mark your calendars for some invigorating discussions, content, and panels we’ve got planned! Held LIVE on our Community!

• 9/4 Live Advocate Meet Up: Building Bridges & Driving Change

• 9/11 Live Founder Conversation: A Conversation with Mark Dusseau, Founder of Dusseau and Company

• 9/20 Live Panel Discussion: Focus on Education & Systems

• Fridays, New Thriver Stories: New episodes released on our community & podcast!

Foster Greatness is a 5013c dedicated to improving outcomes for individuals who have experienced foster care. Through our efforts, we hope to bridge the gap of essential resources and open the gates for conversations and key information to help individuals succeed in life. We aim to be an organization led and created by individuals with lived experience. Together, we hope to thrive as a community of uplifting and positive support for one another.

Want to stay up to date on the latest and greatest in real time?! Follow us on socials below! 👇️🎉