Youth Communication - 10th Annual Awards for Youth in Foster Care

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What Is It?
The Child Welfare Fund Awards for Youth in Foster Care contest is designed to recognize young people who have exhibited resilience, who have helped others, and who have achieved personal and academic success.

The Child Welfare Fund was established in 1992 by an anonymous benefactor to improve the well-being of children and families in New York City. The Fund supports projects in two broad areas: system-wide reform in child welfare and direct services that prevent foster care placement or improve the lives of children and families.

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Streaming Videos

Watch NBA All-Star (and former foster child) Alonzo Mourning's stirring introduction to the winners of the 10th Annual Child Welfare Fund Awards for Youth in Foster Care [3 min]

Watch actor Sharahn LaRue McClung read excerpts from winning essays from the 10th Annual Child Welfare Fund Awards for Youth in Foster Care, 2008.[9 min]

Watch a segment on NY1 News featuring two winners who talk about their suggestions on how to make foster care a more supportive experience. [2 min]

[Note: The last names of the winners have been excluded to protect their privacy. If you are a winner and wish to have your full name printed with your essay/photo, please email lchan@youthcomm.org]

for the 2008 Award Winning Essays
(in PDF form)

Images from the 10th Annual
Awards for Youth In Foster Care

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About our books
Stories from New Youth Connections have been anthologized in several books by Youth Communication. Starting With I (Persea Books, 1997) is a collection of personal essays first published in NYC; in addition,
The Struggle to Be Strong: True Stories By Teens About Resilence (Free Spirit, 2000), Things Get Hectic: Teens Write About the Violence That Surrounds Them (Simon& Schuster, 1998) and Out With It: Gay and Straight Teens Write About Homosexuality (Youth Communication, 1996) feature stories from NYC as well as from Represent, our other teen-written magazine.