A youth-led model of civic engagement and leadership.
Current and former foster youth identify pressing issues within the foster care system, determine concrete solutions, and educate policymakers and professionals about the reality of foster care — and the opportunities to improve it.
Statewide. Youth-led. Ages 14–25.
OFYC is a statewide, youth-led advocacy group of current and former foster youth ages 14–25. It is not a program done for foster youth — it is built and run by them.
Members support one another in identifying the most pressing issues within Oregon’s foster care system, work together to determine concrete solutions, and take those solutions directly to the policymakers and professionals who can act on them.
It’s civic engagement built on lived experience — and leadership development that lasts well beyond any single campaign.
Youth Leadership
Members work together to build a peer community and gain mentorship — from OFYC staff, alumni, and each other.
That community is often the first place a young person in care feels fully understood. It becomes the foundation for every campaign, workshop, and relationship that follows.
System Changes
Youth identify problems in care and design real fixes — grounded in what they actually lived through, not theory.
From placement stability to how caseworkers communicate with the youth in their care, members turn frustration into a concrete, actionable agenda for reform.
Policy Impact
Members talk directly to lawmakers and leaders to pass better laws — including the Foster Youth Bill of Rights.
Testimony from someone who has actually lived in the system carries a weight that no report can match. OFYC members bring that testimony straight to the Capitol.
Education Support
OFYC helps teens and young adults see college as possible — sharing resources like FAFSA help and fee waivers.
For many members, OFYC is the first place anyone sat down with them and said: college is actually within reach, and here is exactly how to get there.
Current and past foster youth, ages 14–25.
If you are currently in foster care, or you were at any point between the ages of 14 and 25, OFYC is your community. There’s no cost to join and no experience required — just your voice.
Ready to get involved?
Reach out and a member of the OFYC team will follow up about how to join, volunteer, or bring OFYC to your organization.
Contact OFYC