When it comes to teens and young adults in foster care, every voice matters. Utah Foster Care is proud to join Utahโs Foster Youth Advisory Board in celebrating October as Foster Youth Voice Month. In Utah, teens in foster care represent up to half of all children in foster care https://utahfostercare.org/become-a-foster-parent/the-children/.
Natalie Clark
Natalie Clark spent six years in Utahโs foster care system, before graduating from the University of Utah with a social work degree. She now works to help other young people navigate what can be a tough transition into adulthood. She tells them every voice matters.
โItโs not what youโve been through in your life that defines who you are โ itโs how you got through it that has made you the person you are today,โ she says. โSometimes, you have to get knocked down lower than youโve ever been, to stand up taller than you ever were.โ
Katelyn Stark
Katelyn Stark is president of the advisory board and says itโs easy for youth to lose their voice while in foster care.
โThe expectations set for youth sometimes seem impossible. If you donโt meet those expectations, or show signs that you arenโt okay, then you are labeled as delinquent, troubled, damaged, or broken,โ says Katelyn. โUsing my voice is the reason I am no longer in a household that is broken.โ If youโd like to โlistenโ to more of Katelynโs story, check out her blog, courtesy of the Selfless Love Foundation.
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