Elevate is a youth-driven
foster care
Foster care is a system in which a minor has been placed into a ward, group home ( residential child care community or treatment centre), or private home of a state- certified caregiver, referred to as a "foster parent", or with a family mem ...
program that was started in the summer of 2005 in
Des Moines, Iowa
Des Moines is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Iowa, most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is the county seat of Polk County, Iowa, Polk County with parts extending into Warren County, Iowa, Wa ...
, as a support group for
fostered and
adopted youth.
ReadMedia website, ''Children & Families of Iowa’s Elevate Program Celebrates Fifth Anniversary'', article dated 27 July 2010
/ref> It is a program of Children & Families of Iowa, a nonprofit organization serving at-risk children and families in Iowa.
Elevate's mission is to inspire others to new levels of understanding and compassion to the life connection needs of foster care and adoptive teens by sharing their personal stories of hope.
About
While Elevate originated in Des Moines, there are now chapters throughout the state of Iowa. Locations of chapters can be found on the Elevate website.
Elevate's activities include numerous types of advocacy
Advocacy is an Action (philosophy), activity by an individual or advocacy group, group that aims to influence decision making, decisions within political, economic, and social institutions. Advocacy includes activities and publications to infl ...
. This includes training and empowering youth to advocate for themselves and others, educating legislators and other decision makers, developing partnerships to help youth successfully age out of foster care and encouraging others to open their homes to foster teens.
Membership includes current and former foster youth, adoptees from the foster care system and the biological children of foster and adoptive parents. Foster care alumni, social workers, foster and adoptive parents and juvenile attorneys function as supports for the group, but the majority of the decisions are made by the members or their governing council, the ECC. The ECC is composed of members elected by their peers.
Elevate is best known for personal stories and passionate speakers, but also includes artwork, poetry and other writing. Any foster or adopted person or the child of foster or adoptive parents over the age of seven can become an artist for Elevate and any one in these categories over the age of 13 can become a poet, speaker or writer for Elevate.
Elevate has had members speak at a number of different events around the country including dozens of events within the state of Iowa
Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...
, and events in Seattle, Washington; San Antonio, Texas; Washington, DC; St. Louis, Missouri; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Columbus, Ohio and Atlanta, Georgia.
Projects
Elevate projects are designed to provide its members with a means of self-expression while bringing awareness to the needs of foster and adoptive youth. Travis Lloyd is an Elevate member, and former Elevate chapter facilitator, who developed the elevate: Desire to Inspire music and poetry CD, as well as a video called Voices of Youth. These two projects are used as educational tools in university classes, social work trainings, and foster youth conferences. Elevate projects, poetry, and stories of foster youth are available on the Elevate web site.
See also
* Aging out
References
{{reflist
External links
Children & Families of Iowa
Support groups
Foster care
Youth organizations based in Iowa