The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta Wins National Public Policy Award for Work with Youth in Foster Care

The Council on Foundations recently honored the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta for its work to improve outcomes for youths who age out of the foster care system. The foundation received the Paul Ylvisaker Award for Public Policy Engagement at the council's annual conference held in Denver April 25-27.

"The Community Foundation was selected because of their dedication to engaging youth impacted by the foster care system in the leadership of this effort and their willingness to push further in public policy when many foundations are still wary about getting their feet wet," said Steve Gunderson, president and CEO of the Council on Foundations. "Their insight, innovation and leadership are a source of inspiration to others in the field and well deserving of these honors."

The Community Foundation launched the Metropolitan Atlanta Youth Opportunities Initiative in 2002 as part of a national effort, led by the Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative, to help foster youth make successful transitions to adulthood.

MAYOI worked directly with youth impacted by the foster care system to better understand the challenges they face and help them advocate for the issues that affect them. As a result, there was youth involvement and engagement in initiatives across a range of government agencies. In 2006, for example, participants got the chance to work with Georgia policymakers on a measure to extend Medicaid benefits for youth ages 18 to 21 from foster care - a key public policy priority.

"Helping these youth impacted by the foster care system see that they have the power to change legislation that directly affects their lives was the greatest award we could have achieved," said Alicia Philipp, president of The Community Foundation. "But being recognized among your peers as an example of effective public policy engagement is incredibly rewarding as well."

Today, young people are at the table, continuing to work to change both legislation and policy around foster youth transitions. The effort is ongoing and has been so successful that MAYOI has helped to expand youth involvement beyond the metro Atlanta area to Georgia's 159 counties as well. EmpowerMEnt, the youth leadership and advocacy group, now is supported by a community-based nonprofit with statewide reach.