We will be holding four symposia over a 13-month period from September 2026 to October 2027.
The speakers at all of the symposia will be young people who have experienced out-of-home care in North America, South America, the Caribbean, and Central America. Below is the timeline for the four symposia.⇩

Please note that the second day of the first symposium (Sunday, 9/27/2026) will be an open symposium; anyone who registers can join the webinar to watch the youth’s presentations. Please see below for more information

North and South America Symposia for Youth in Out of Home Care

〜The 1st virtual symposium with youth from North and South America〜

< Open Virtual Symposium for Resistered Audience >

Date: Sunday, September 27th, 2026
Time: 9:00am – 12:00pm Pacific Standard Time (PST) 　🌎 To find out your time zone, please click here.

[Symposium Agenda]

▶︎The first 2 Hours:
・Each speaker will give a 15-minute speech(There will be a total of about 8 to 10 speakers)
The theme is “Transition”.
  1) When you transitioned from your biological family to out-of-home care
  2) Transition to adulthood

< Short Break >

▶︎The Last 1 hour
・Q&A with symposium audience
・Speakers’ reflection and last comment　

Free Admission with Suggested Optional Donation of $25

▶️ To register for the second day of the first symposium (September 27th, 2026) please fill out this form ⇨ https://forms.gle/2MoDJ51zzrZPtxyj6

This event is coordinated by the International Foster Care Alliance (IFCA) and supported by regional collaborators across the Americas. For questions, please cotact us at info@ifca-us.org

Flyer for this event ⬇️
URL for the PDF Flyer ⇨ https://acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:US:b6e46a08-e544-4a20-97d6-b8995c2e5a32

Attention!
Youth Speaker Candidates and Their Adult Supporters


INVITATION

You are invited to nominate up to 3 youth delegates to represent your country to present and participate in the upcoming North and South America Symposia, an international gathering designed by and for young people with lived experience in out-of-home care.
Your support in connecting youth to this opportunity is vital to amplifying their voices and creating lasting change in the foster care and child welfare landscape.

NUMBERS OF PARTICIPATING COUNTRIES AND YOUTH PRESENTERS

Delegate participation will be limited to 25 individuals, with representation from the United States, US Territories, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and South America. We aim to elevate diverse voices and ensure broad representation, including Indigenous and Afro-descendant youth. This Summit will include English, Spanish, and Portuguese translation.

SYMPOSIUM AGENDA

The Summit Agenda will include:

• Closed sessions for delegates to build community, reflect, and plan for action,
• Open knowledge exchanges with child welfare professionals, advocates, scholars, caregivers, parents, and young leaders,
• Interactive workshops focused on transitions into, through, and out of care,
• Sessions on healing, community care, and youth-led solutions.

You can download the above 3 flyers:
◉ A4 Size: https://acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:us:2fbe9bae-4db5-4714-80ca-79f7742eb3f9
◉ US Letter Size: https://acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:US:d5e488f3-d0d7-4734-a637-460551240d33