OVERVIEW

The Foster Care Film and Community Engagement Project is not just a film it is:

An animated documentary film about perseverance and survival

A series of short live action films profiling individual youth’s journeys’ through the U.S. foster care system

An opportunity for foster youth to share their voice thru storytelling, writing and art

An outlet for foster youth to work behind the scenes on a film

A social media campaign focused on reframing the discussion about foster care

A community engagement project, which connects current/former foster youth to those who have an opportunity to make a difference within the system.

To learn more or get involved please contact us at: info@fostercarefilm.com.

INSPIRATION

After three years working with a developmentally-delayed child, I picked up my phone to hear a little voice saying, “Mama.” This was Ana’s first word and her foster mother had called me, her Court Appointed Special Advocate, to share the experience. As a CASA volunteer, I’ve spent years working with children, their families and the court system to help find kids a permanent home, good educational opportunities and needed medical and social services. As I heard Ana find her voice, I wondered how, and whether, other foster youth ever truly found theirs. So I decided to answer this question using the tools I knew best, animation and film, to give foster youth a chance to be heard.

- Yasmin Mistry
Director, Foster Care Film & Community Engagement Project

GOAL

Our goal is to provide role models for youth currently in the foster care system, giving them work experience as well as hope and inspiration for a better future.

Through film and media we intend to dispel negative stereotypes about foster care by showing how school, extended family and the kindness of strangers can help a child find their path in life. By educating general audiences about foster care we can inspire prospective foster parents, mentors or advocates to take action within their communities.