ECMC Foundation Promotes the Voice of Foster Youth Scholars in Wake of Coronavirus Outbreak
March 24, 2020
Press Release from Fostering Media Connections
Contact:
Joshua Kennedy
213-265-7767, joshua@fosteringmediaconnections.org
ECMC Foundation Promotes the Voice of Foster Youth Scholars in Wake of Coronavirus Outbreak
With incredible urgency in response to the fast spreading Coronavirus pandemic, the ECMC Foundation has invested in some of America’s most vulnerable college students, including those who have experienced foster care.
Last week, the national postsecondary education funder reviewed and granted the nonprofit journalism organization Fostering Media Connections (FMC) $70,000 to lift up the voices of the thousands of foster youth currently being displaced and set into anxiety by the vicissitudes of COVID-19.
The majority of the grant, $45,000, will be used to make sure that these young scholars’ voices are heard through Op-Eds, stories and other media to be published in FMC’s national news site covering child welfare, The Chronicle of Social Change. Youth will be paid directly, ensuring that they not only contribute to solutions to the challenges they face, but also have a little extra cash on hand through this very difficult time.
“Consistent with our mission to improve educational outcomes, especially among students from underserved backgrounds, we are pleased to support Fostering Media Connections in this unique way,” said Peter Taylor, president, ECMC Foundation. “This time of crisis calls for out-of-box ideas to help organizations like FMC scale up their support for youth in foster care.”
The project will be led by Raquel Wilson, the manager of FMC’s Youth Voice program. Youth Voice trains systems-involved youth how to produce journalism and pays them for their work. Wilson experienced foster care herself, and benefited from Cal State Fresno’s Renaissance Scholars Program on an educational journey that now includes two master’s degrees.
“As a former foster youth, school was the only thing I felt no one could take away from me. Programs that advocate for foster youth and higher education are critical because many of us do not believe we can matriculate a university and actually graduate, because we have been told we wouldn’t be able to do so,” Wilson said. “I look forward to using my role to continue to advocate for foster youth and help them to pursue higher education through this opportunity from ECMC Foundation.”
About ECMC Foundation
ECMC Foundation is a Los Angeles-based, nationally focused foundation whose mission is to inspire and to facilitate improvements that affect educational outcomes—especially among underserved populations—through evidence-based innovation. It is one of several affiliates under the ECMC Group enterprise based in Minneapolis. ECMC Foundation makes investments in two focus areas: College Success and Career Readiness; and uses a spectrum of funding structures, including strategic grantmaking and program-related investments, to invest in both nonprofit and for-profit ventures. Working with grantees, partners and peers, ECMC Foundation’s vision is for all learners to unlock their fullest potential. Learn more about ECMC Foundation by visiting www.ecmcfoundation.org and ECMC Group by visiting www.ecmcgroup.org.
About FMC
Fostering Media Connections (FMC) uses the power of media and journalism to lead the conversation about children, youth and families in America.
FMC publishes The Chronicle of Social Change and Fostering Families Today. The Chronicle of Social Change is a daily news site dedicated to rigorous, in-depth journalism focused on families and the systems that impact their lives. Fostering Families Today is a magazine that educates and inspires the community of kinship, foster and adoptive families in America.
FMC also trains current and former systems-involved youth in journalism through its Youth Voice program, elevating lived experience perspective.
Beyond producing stories, FMC employs an aggressive dissemination strategy to see its stories re-published in other media outlets, amplifying impact.