Georgia Conference on Child Abuse Prevention

Being in foster care can lead to a number of barriers that can result in young people feel like they are starting on a more difficult playing field from their peers. We want to give you all tools and real examples of how to even that playing field. This panel features Lived Experience Experts—current and former youth with experience in foster care (ages 14+) from Georgia.  The core question this panel will address is: How can adult supporters increase Positive Childhood Experiences (PCEs) for youth who have or are experiencing foster care?

Lived Experience Expert panelists will share concrete strategies for: being a safe space for feelings to be expressed, supporting traditions, offering stability during difficult times, fostering belonging in school despite moves, and becoming one of the consistent, caring non-parent adults in a young person’s life.  As an adult sup[porter, you are in the position to help these young people break generational cycles, come learn with us, how to do that!

Attendees will also hear honest accounts of transitioning from foster care to adulthood, learn why peer community is a protective factor, and see real policy wins and macro-level impact that EmpowerMEnt’s lived experience experts have achieved in Georgia’s child welfare system and what that involvement has been like and meant to them.   We are also happy to share resources to help you, help youth you work with. Especially those transitioning into adulthood.
We're excited for this to be an interactive panel as well and will have time and space for you to ask questions directly as well.  

EmpowerMEnt is a pioneering youth-led and youth-focused organization dedicated to training and empowering young people (ages 14+) who are currently in or have experienced foster care. Our mission is to directly influence, change, and improve the way policies are written and administered, ensuring that decisions affecting youth in foster care are made with their direct input and lived experience. "Nothing About us, Without us."

Disclaimers: No CEUs are provided for this presentation.
Supportive Disclaimer: All of our lived experience experts are trained with a model called Strategic Sharing: the intentional, purposeful process of telling your lived experience and impactful personal story safely to achieve a specific goal, such as advocacy, education, or connection.  We do this in effort to prevent retraumatizing oneself or the audience.  Georgia EmpowerMEnt provides preparation and debrief to our lived experience experts to ensure their mental health and emotional safety.