Authored by Lived Experience Leader Gabe Foley

Lived experience engagement can serve as the building block to life-changing opportunities and experiences for youth and young adults in the child welfare system. But finding out how to get involved can be intimidating and confusing, especially on state websites that haven’t been recently updated. That’s the challenge I faced when I was 19 and first heard about advocacy in my area. It had always been my dream to use my voice for positive change – and I was ecstatic to hear that new platforms were being provided for young adults with child welfare experience – but confusing website design and jargon left me stumped every time I tried to find out what was coming next.

It wasn’t until a personal friend handed me an information sheet about my state’s Youth Advisory Board that I finally found a chance I could pursue – and even then, it took plenty of convincing from the friend to get me at the first meeting! But with the promise of pizza and a safe space, I agreed to attend my first Advisory Board meeting – and was warmly surprised by how welcoming the group was. It was one of the few spaces where I felt I could bring my fully authentic self, without fear of judgment or inconsideration when I shared details about my story. That warm feeling has grown with every opportunity since, as I’ve finally found a way of fulfilling my dream to inspire positive change.

National Foster Care Month offers communities the opportunity to lift up when and where these engagement opportunities are, and the important impact they can leave with lived experts. Engaging not only provides young adults with a chance to inform change – it can provide them the chance to find a safe space where they can build relationships with peers with similar experiences that can last a lifetime. Do your part to support lived experience engagement by widely sharing opportunities you come across, calling out inaccessible language or site design, and spreading the importance of advocacy groups with your networks!

About Gabe Foley 

23 Years Old I He/Him/His
18 years in Illinois’ Foster Care System

Gabriel Foley earned a degree in Sociology from Bradley University in 2022 before beginning a career in child welfare. He currently works as a Lived Experience Engagement Specialist and Knowledge Management Specialist for the Capacity Building Center for States and the Child Welfare Information Gateway.  

But when he was 19 years old, he had never heard of a Youth Advisory Board. He got an invite in the mail and begrudgingly went to a Youth Advisory Board meeting with friends. Ever since, he’s been hooked on advocacy! Gabe has been involved in multiple senate bills and house resolutions in his home state of Illinois. 

In his free time, Gabe enjoys website development and following the data side of sports. He’s an avid hockey-player and started ice-skating when he was two years old–two months after he started walking! He also loves to go on walks, garden, and play with his pup.

Through his involvement in FosterClub, Gabe hopes to learn from his peers and how they’re able to leverage the community they have built to share their message and promote childhood well-being as a whole.