IFCA $2000 Matching Fund Drive Has Been Launched!!

Dear IFCA Supporters:

As the year draws to an end, we reflect on a 2014 that was full of new challenges and adventures.

We are thankful for our many supporters who believed in our global movement to improve the lives of foster children and foster care alumni in the US and Japan.

As in 2013, our US and Japan alumni teams visited each other’s countries this year. Through their collaboration to make their Seattle and Tokyo Youth Summits successful, the team members grew closer as international partners. The IFCA United States Alumni Team has been using their knowledge and skills to help build a foundation for a youth-lead advocacy movement in Japan. As a result, Japanese team members have been invited to many speaking engagements in Japan.

Our TF-CBT trainer, Monica Fitzgerald [Univ. of Colorado-Kempe Center] completed her 4^th 3-day TF-CBT workshops for 43 clinicians in Japan in September, and is continuing her televised consultation with these clinicians who are working directly with children affected by serious trauma.

We reached many goals and touched many lives, but our efforts continue for the coming years. We need your help and support more than ever to continue our endeavor to meet our mission objectives.

During the month following 12/26/2014, one of our US advisory board members, Gia McKinzie, will be donating $1,000 as a matching fund drive. Individual contributions for a total of up to $1,000 donated by 1/26/2015 will be matched by Gia’s generous donation.

Please donate to IFCA today by visiting our website’s DONATION page !!!

We are already making plans for the coming year. In March 2015, the IFCA alumni and professional delegation from Washington state will be invited to 3 cities in Japan (Tokyo, Shizuoka and Fukuoka) to present on the following topics: 1)  Methods of moving children from congregate care to family-oriented care; 2) Importance of youth advocacy and youth-adult partnership; 3) Effective foster care recruitment, support and retention

In Japan, most foster children still live in orphanage-like large facilities and the Japanese government is being pressured by the United Nations to move these children from institutions to family-like settings such as foster and kinship homes. The most recent Human Rights Watch report reveals the reality of Japanese foster youth who are not given voices to tell their own foster care stories.

Japan is now finally reaching out to IFCA members to seek expert opinions and guidance to change their foster care system.

Thank you, and we wish you a holiday season filled with love and hope for the future.

Miho Awazu, President, IFCA   206-661-8225