HHS Office of Adolescent Health | Website: http://www.hhs.gov/ash/oah/TAG Twitter: @TeenHealthGov Email: TAGTEAM@hhs.gov

TAG in Action: Engaging Youth at FosterClub

As part of its national call to action, Adolescent Health: Think, Act, Grow® (TAG), the 

Office of Adolescent Health in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has 

identified a number of successful strategies for improving adolescent health throughout 

the country. This strategy highlights the approach of a national organization to engage 

youth in services that strengthen their own self-advocacy and personal growth.

The Goal FosterClub was founded to help young people navigate foster care when they are 

removed from their homes because of suspected abuse or neglect. Led by former foster 

youth, the FosterClub All-Star internship program aims to help young people process 

their experience in foster care and develop skills for lifelong success.

The Game 

Plan

FosterClub helps young people currently and formerly in foster care connect to a peer 

support network and gain awareness of their rights. Based in Seaside, Oregon, and 

Washington, D.C., the organization seeks to inspire and empower youth involved in foster 

care by sharing stories of people who have succeeded before them. FosterClub also elevates

the voice of young people in policy conversations so they can be represented in the decisions 

which have such a profound impact on their lives. The FosterClub All-Star program is an 

intensive one-year internship that engages youth in learning about foster care, leading 

training sessions for peers and other stakeholders, and sharing their story strategically to 

advocate for improvements in the child welfare system. 

The 

Winning 

Plays

FosterClub developed a method for how a youth can share his or her own personal story 

to help others. Youth are trained in hosting peer-led events, such as at foster care 

conferences, which includes a routine, in-depth debrief procedure to help youth process 

the experience and promote positive youth development. Following a peer-led model, 

new interns learn from fellow alumni who have previously served as FosterClub interns 

in the past. The young people identify what works and what needs to be improved. 

Impact Justice evaluated FosterClub’s successful youth engagement framework and 

identified five integral elements for building resilience: 1) System knowledge: young 

people understand the system they are navigating and are aware of the resources 

available to them; 2) Personal narrative: young people are able to reflect on their own 

story and recognize the value and impact of their lived experience; 3) Self-regulation: 

young people have an understanding about how past trauma impacts current thinking 

and behavior, and possess skills to make healthy decisions; 4) Connectedness: young 

people value permanence and connections to people they trust, and are connected to 

individuals and networks that can support them; and 5) Meaningful contribution: young 

people recognize how they can impact the people, systems, and world around them.

“We’re placing our bet on young people. We believe they are the catalysts for 

transforming their own lives – and for reforming the child welfare system...” - Celeste 

Bodner, CEO

Learn 

More

www.fosterclub.com