118 HRES 1556 IH: Supporting the designation of October as “Foster Youth Voice Month” and encouraging public awareness and participation in events and initiatives organized by youth in foster care. U.S. House of Representatives 2024-10-29 text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.

IV118th CONGRESS2d SessionH. RES. 1556IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVESOctober 29, 2024Mr. Nunn of Iowa submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Education and the WorkforceRESOLUTIONSupporting the designation of October as Foster Youth Voice Month and encouraging public awareness and participation in events and initiatives organized by youth in foster care.

Whereas the voices of young people who have experienced foster care are crucial in shaping policies and practices that affect their lives and those of their peers;Whereas, since the Selfless Love Foundation initiated the first Foster Youth Voice Month in 2019, organizations in more than 35 States have participated to empower young people in foster care to advocate for themselves and drive systemic change;Whereas Foster Youth Voice Month, celebrated annually in October, promotes awareness and highlights the experiences, needs, and achievements of young people impacted by the foster care system in the United States;Whereas an estimated 391,000 youth and young adults are impacted by the foster care system annually in the United States, facing unique challenges and barriers to stability and success;Whereas recognizing Foster Youth Voice Month nationally will encourage dialogue, collaboration, and support for initiatives focused on cocreating solutions that improve outcomes for young people in foster care; andWhereas the Selfless Love Foundation and other advocates across the United States have achieved significant policy victories and systems changes, demonstrating how lived experience informs and improves laws and policies, thereby reducing unintended harmful consequences: Now, therefore, be it

That the House of Representatives—(1)supports the designation of Foster Youth Voice Month and encourages public awareness and participation in events and initiatives organized by youth in foster care;(2)acknowledges the contributions and resilience of youth in foster care and urges Federal recognition of Foster Youth Voice Month as an official awareness month;(3)acknowledges and celebrates policy victories and systems changes driven by young people with lived experience in foster care, and urges legislative bodies to recognize the value of lived experience in crafting laws and policies to improve outcomes for youth in foster care; and(4)respectfully requests that the Clerk of the House of Representatives transmit an enrolled copy of this resolution to the Selfless Love Foundation.