FosterClub Lived Experience Leaders Train Foster Parents through Boys and Girls Aid
Last month, FosterClub brought lived experience voices to Boys and Girls Aid’s foster parent training in Portland, Oregon.
Boys and Girls Aid is a local nonprofit organization that assists foster parents in supporting youth ages 4-18 with experience with juvenile justice, mental health challenges, and/or multiple placements. Our Lived Experience Leaders Toriandre Givens (she/her), 24, and Abi Winter (they/them), 21, both from Oregon, shared their foster care journeys with 26 adult audience members.
Using their own lived experiences, Toriandre and Abi explained strategies to support young people in foster care. They answered panel questions about what they wish caregivers would have known or done for them and what kinds of support they suggest for the particular age groups and experiences Boys and Girls Aid serves. After fielding questions from the foster parents in attendance, the evening concluded, and the room broke into applause.
After the training, the foster parents in the audience described it as “informative,” “eye-opening,” and “the best training so far.”