“I’ve never been in a space where I felt more loved and seen.” These heartfelt words came from a student participant at JBAY’s 2024 Blueprint for Success conference, held this week in Los Angeles. The event brought together nearly 800 attendees to network, learn, and celebrate—all with the shared mission of supporting youth with experience in foster care as they pursue diverse educational paths, from career training to community college, 4-year degrees, and beyond.
The gathering included college and university staff, K-12 partners, representatives from child welfare, probation and other state and local agencies, community based organizations, advocates and funders. Alongside these professionals were 135 students with foster care backgrounds, who not only contributed their perspectives but also connected deeply with one another in a pre-conference leadership development session. One student noted, “Without feeling seen, I can’t focus on my education or anything. You all see us. I needed this space. This will hold me over for at least a year.”
The conference opened with a welcome video featuring various campus foster youth programs. Keynote speakers Charity Chandler Cole and Sade Daniels earned standing ovations for their powerful addresses, which reflected on their personal journeys through and beyond the foster care system, the profound impact of adult allies, and the critical need for continued advocacy where the system falls short. Student participants also took the stage to share poems, songs, and artwork, contributing their own creative voices to the event.
Throughout the two-day conference, participants could choose from 30 workshops that offered best practices for supporting foster youth in education, insights from recent research, and innovative strategies to address foster youth educational needs. Topics ranged from apprenticeship programs and the experiences of immigrant children in foster care to centering racial equity in postsecondary support and transitioning from college to career.
JBAY Education Director Jessica Petrass expressed the excitement felt by so many conference goers, saying, “It was inspiring to see so many people come together with a common purpose—to improve the college and career outcomes for youth with experience in the foster care system. Feeling the energy in the room makes it truly seem possible.”