Technology Leadership Circle

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OVERVIEW

Foster America connects and activates changemakers to challenge injustice in the child welfare system and champion opportunities so every child, family and community thrives.

We do this by… 

• Talent: Seeking out and supporting talent — both in and beyond the field — with the determination and imagination to drive transformational change
• Knowledge: Actively listening to and learning with as well as across communities, to build and share knowledge
• Innovation: Imagining and advancing innovative ideas and equitable solutions

Together, we’re expanding resources and bolstering the relationships necessary to achieve systemic change for the well-being of all children and families.

The Technology Leadership Circle is a professional and leadership development fellowship for people who have been personally impacted by the child welfare system. Foster America is seeking 10-15 early-stage adult leaders for this 10-month paid opportunity.

In January 2025, Foster America will expand on the efforts presented at the 2024 Fostering Futures Forum, and launch a new national initiative to bring leaders together in a technology focused learning community.  We are seeking 12-15 Lived Experts who are interested in designing technologies for a 10-month technology leadership fellowship.  

WHY

Currently, there is a lack of technology innovation that centers the needs of children and families who are most in need of support. Through the Fostering Futures Forum (FFF) it became apparent that this is not due to lack of interest in the child welfare field nor a lack of innovative ideas. We would like to create a space of both innovation and learning where the ideas presented at the FFF gets closer to becoming a reality. With the help of Technologists with experience in designing and creating tangible technology-based products, we hope to further the innovative work that was presented at the FFF in Spring 2024. This will be the first of what we hope will be many cohorts. In this first cohort,  the focus will be on taking ideas brought forward by lived experience experts and further refining them in stages, with the goal of creating clear product designs that the next cohort can build, launch and evaluate. 

WHO

We are seeking leaders

• With a shared commitment to innovation in service of imagining a different future for children and families;  
• Hold a deep commitment to their own learning and growth and would value connection with a network of other changemakers within the technology space. 
• Have an interest in engaging in one of the existing projects presented at the Fostering Future Forum in May of 2024. The goal of which is to advance these projects over the length of the fellowship that focuses on improving the lives of those affected by the child welfare system:
• Goal Booster: A platform that supports youth in creating and working towards their goals for the future.
• Caregiver Matching System: A platform where youth can assess their compatibility with potential placements.
• Community Gaming: A virtual space where youth can come together to play games and connect with others in an authentic way.
• Foster Files: A youth-facing digital wallet that houses all of their documents and makes it easy to find and correct records.
• Transit Central: An application that serves as a rideshare app for youth in foster care, and provides a way for youth who have aged out of foster care to earn extra money

WHAT

We aim to create a cohort experience where changemakers are empowered to design, research and create new technology solutions to better connect to their community, and promote healing and belonging for those affected by injustice in the child welfare system.

Over the 10-month experience, participants will join virtual programming 2 hours per month at the end of which participants will travel to Boston for an in person convening on September 29th & 30th 2025.  All travel expenses will be covered by Foster America. 

WHEN 

The sessions will take place from 7pm - 9pm ET on the following dates.

• Session 1: January 28th, 2025
• Session 2: February 25th, 2025
• Session 3: March 18th, 2025
• Session 4: April 15th, 2025
• Session 5: May 13th, 2025
• Session 6: June 10th, 2025
• Session 7: July 15th, 2025
• Session 8: August 12, 2025
• Session 9: September 9th, 2025
• Session 10: October 14th, 2025

Requirements

Be sure to include in your cover letter a description of the project you are working to advance this year as well as any leadership growth goals you may have.  

• Application and cover letter due by October 28, 2024
• Zoom interview will occur by November 31, 2024.
• Final selection on December 15th, 2024.