Kidsave's EMBRACE Project addresses barriers to mentoring, fostering, and adopting Black, Latino/a and LGBTQ+ youth in foster care. EMBRACE envisions a world in which every child thrives in a loving and nurturing environment and uses data as a catalyst for change. In 2023 we collaborated with the Gallup Center on Black Voices. In 2024 we launched a Cultural Responsiveness Training. In 2025 we launched the Peer Mentor program.
Black and LGBTQ youth are overrepresented in foster care. Latino/a youth have specific cultural needs that deserve to met to help them thrive. Black children make up 22% of all kids in foster care in the U.S., even though they only represent 14% of the total child population. 30% of youth in foster care identify as LGBTQ+, even though they represent only 11% of the general population. Latino/a children may have stress due to fears of family separation and possible language barriers.
This project will help more children and teens from underserved communities build healthy relationships, stronger self-esteem, and a greater sense of belonging by providing culturally responsive support and connecting them with mentors and adoptive families who reflect their backgrounds. It also raises community awareness and expands the number of caring adults equipped to support youth in foster care, improving their chances of achieving safe, lasting connections.
Cultivating long-term and lasting cultural connections and identity affirming support between children and adults can lead to a stronger identity, increased self-esteem, and increased success for youth which aids our society with healthy members of the workforce and potential leaders. Other benefits include: reducing the foster care to prison pipeline and a reduction in homelessness.
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).
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