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October Newsletter | Mental Health & Well Being
Isabel Stasa
November 04, 2024
Our Standards:
Led By Youth, Guided by Experience
Every month, we’ll be sharing community updates that include insights from our Thriver Stories, thoughts from Panel Discussions and our Theme Release for the following month!
October 2024
💗
October: A Month Dedicated to Mental Health and Well-Being
Hi FG Member!
Throughout October, Foster Greatness was honored to host three guests on our Thriver Stories podcast: Ash Barcus, Faith Sharp, and Reannon Matulewich. Ash, Faith, and Reannon shared their insights into mental health struggles and well-being. In our Thriver Story episodes, we shared in conversation around navigating the foster system while having a disability, going years undiagnosed with a physical and/or mental disability, and the complexity of grief.
 | 👉️ Ash shared about their personal experiences with being misdiagnosed, a lack of healthcare access, and the internalization of harmful messages about being disabled. |
 | 👉️ Reannon reflected on her time in care and the experience of going undiagnosed for years and how having to navigate life with bipolar disorder almost entirely on her own. |
 | 👉️ In Faith’s episode, Friend is My Least Favorite F-Word, she shared about how she has had to navigate grief almost entirely on her own and how grief has impacted her desire to establish any type of relationship. |
Foster Greatness is honored to share in such deep, necessary conversations with those that matter the most. We are grateful to be able to use this month on Mental Health & Well-being to remind the community of the importance of recognizing disabled people in discussion around mental health. We are grateful to open the door to conversations around ambiguous grief and the battles of facing lifelong challenges alone. We could not have hosted such powerful conversations without the wisdom of our Thriver Story guests Ash, Reannon, and Faith.
💪
In our October Panel, we were joined by experts Ash Barcus and Faith Sharp to talk in depth with the community about Enhancing Mental Health & Well-being for Foster Youth.
Ash and Faith shared reflections with the community on their individual Thriver Story episodes and offered communal reflections on the interconnectedness of grief, relationships, disability, and mental health.
Perhaps most insightful were the reflections on how the institution that is the foster system creates unnatural interactions and relationships with the children and young people experiencing the system. The policing of interactions and normal life activities often leaves those exiting the system confused and lacking the skills and social awareness to engage seamlessly in society.
What Else is New? 🤔
2024 EOPS Conference
Foster Greatness is always seeking out opportunities to share space with our community and help expand our collective impact 💪🏾. In October, we were honored to host a workshop on “Empowering Foster Youth: Strategies for Engagement and Success” 🤩 at the 2024 CCCEOPS Conference!
With over 100 workshop attendees, it was evident that supporters, educators, and advocates for current and former foster youth are passionate about learning and growing as a collective 🤝.
Our workshop, carefully created by our own Lived Experience Expert and Head of Community Engagement & Public Affairs, Isabel Stasa, focused on strategies to effectively engage with and empower ✨ current and former foster youth while highlighting the importance of interdepartmental and interagency collaboration.
All-In Missouri Retreat
Did you know that every year, All-In Empowering Futures hosts a national young adult retreat for aged-out foster youth? This year, Foster Greatness’ own Lived Experience Expert, Isabel Stasa, was invited to attend as someone who aged-out of the foster system and on behalf of Foster Greatness.
While at this retreat, we were privileged to engage in deep, meaningful conversation with remarkable individuals who have experienced the foster system. Here at Foster Greatness, we know how incredibly important community is, and All-In Empowering Futures is one of many organizations creating the third-spaces necessary to empower ours.
An Incredible Workshop | Finding Belonging with Gaelin Elmore 🫂
Did you know that before one can truly develop community and be open to receiving love and support they must first feel that they belong? Gaelin Elmore, a Foster Alumni and former NFL football player, joined Foster Greatness in October to host a workshop on Finding Belonging.
Advocates, supported, and community members with lived experience in the foster system joined us to reflect on the importance of finding belonging, how belonging opens us up for transformative connections, and how we can support each other in establishing belonging.
Thanksgiving Community Cooking Event
On November 15th, Foster Greatness—in partnership with EatWell and One Simple Wish—is hosting our Community Cooking Event! Individuals who have spent time in the foster system will get to cook a meal, provided by EatWell, together virtually and engage in joy, laughs, and community. 🍗
We recognize that the holiday season is about to begin and that this time of year can be especially isolating for our community members with lived experience.
With the support of EatWell and One Simple Wish, we are honored to host a space for those members to share in community and break bread together during this time.
Interested in being featured as a thriver story and participating in an engaging panel discussions? 🎙️
We are actively seeking new and inspiring guests with lived experience in the foster system to uplift their voices and stories on the Thriver Stories podcast! If you have a story to share, we would love to hear from you. Simply fill out the form provided above, and we will get back to you with the next steps in the process. ✏️
Our Thriver Stories podcast is dedicated to highlighting the voices of individuals who have lived experience in the foster system. We aim to provide a platform for these individuals to share their unique experiences and personal journeys, all revolving around a specific topic of their choice. 💙
Participants are compensated for the time and contribution they make on our podcast show and panel conversations.
December Gingerbread House Contest Virtual Party!
Do you lived experience in the foster system? Do you want to embrace the holiday season, have fun, get creative, and share space with other Foster Alumni? ❄️
Well then, Foster Greatness has just the event for you! Join us on December 13th at 6pm EST for a Virtual Gingerbread House Contest Party! We’ll provide you with all the materials, a gift card to make your house unique, and the virtual space to join! So join us in your favorite holiday attire, come with all your stories, and let’s get creative!
Please note this space is limited to 45 individuals with lived experience in the foster system.
Fill out the form below to RSVP before November 30th or until space is filled!
Upcoming Theme and Events 📆
Upcoming monthly theme: Relationships
Nov. 1st: Carloe Moser “Life is all about relationships, the rest are just details”
Nov. 8th: Rimy Morris “Can you (foster) parent better than a 9-year-old?”
Nov. 15th: Jas Snell “The Transformational Impact of Community”
Nov. 15th @ 6pm EST: Community Cooking Event!
November Panel Date: Nov 22nd 12pm EST “Embracing Changing and Dynamic Relationships in the Foster System”
Foster Greatness’s mission is to co-create a dynamic platform with people directly impacted by the foster system to set the standard of empowerment and support. We are providing accessible, authentic connections and support by creating a lived-experience led platform. Our vision for every person who is and has been directly impacted by the foster system to feel empowered and supported.