The Beginning of Summer – 2010 FYI Program
On May 29th, 11 former foster youth boarded planes at different airports around the country. Their hearts were beating fast and their minds raced as they dreamt about the 9 weeks ahead. Many of them must have hesitated to even board the plane. It must have taken an incredible amount of faith to spend the summer away from home, living with a person they had never met, and working in an office they could barely find on a map. Even with all of this uncertainty, all 11 Congressional Foster Youth Interns arrived on CCAI’s doorstep and we were thrilled to welcome them to Washington.
Almost as soon as the interns arrived, we had them pack a weekend bag and head to Danville, PA for the annual retreat. Once arriving in Danville, I think the interns understood why after all of these years, we still return to such a small town in the middle of Pennsylvania. Danville is idyllic and although I have been there several times, I am still surprised at the town’s overabundance of smiles and waves.
This year was much like retreats in the past. We spent time getting to know one another, discussing what mark each intern wants to make while in DC, and what fears the interns are facing as they reflect on the upcoming two months. They arrived 100 W. Market Street in Danville as 11 different people and left as a one, united around the mission of making a difference for the hundreds of thousands of children in foster care.
After the retreat, we returned to Washington and began orientation. CCAI does all it can to make sure that the interns are prepared for their Congressional internships. In that vein, we planned several informative sessions like “Dress to Impress,” “Rules of the Road,” and “Safety First.” We had guest speakers including the Congressional Research Service who conducted a two-hour training tailored specifically for our interns and their interest in foster care policy. Additionally, we invited key Congressional staff, Administration staff, and foster care advocacy leaders for a welcome lunch to share tips on making the most of a Washington internship.
As the interns embarked on their first day of work yesterday, I cannot help but be a little envious of their time in Congress. I know that each of them will have a unique experience in Congress and it will inevitably shape their future for the better. I am still struck by the amount of courage it took for each of these young leaders to believe the voice on the other end of the phone guaranteeing a summer internship full of opportunity and excitement. Lucky for us, these interns did believe us and in my short time with them, I know their determination to succeed will make this a fantastic summer.
My first week in Washington, DC
Prior to my arrival in Washington, DC last week I was nervous about leaving my support group back home, acclimating to an unfamiliar area, and as ridiculous as it may sound, making a friend. So far I can say with certainty that I’ve made ten–my fellow CCAI Foster Youth Interns. Over the past seven days, I have bonded with each fellow intern in ways that I never knew possible. While we have traveled from all over the US to work in Washington, DC for the summer, we share one thing in common: we survived the foster care system, and have come here to lend a voice to past, present, and future foster youth.
Upon meeting the fellow interns, I realized that they were just as nervous as I was. However, it didn’t take long before we were sharing stories and planning activities together. The day after our arrival we headed to a retreat in Danville, Pennsylvania, a small town with a population of 4,000. The town was warm and welcoming, and we were more than excited to be staying in a historical home that was once part of the Underground Railroad. There we engaged in group activities that encouraged us to bond, all while learning about what to expect from our summer in DC. The retreat also gave us the opportunity to learn more about CCAI, its staff members, and supporters whose generosity and dedication made this all possible.
After a long and exciting first week as a Foster Youth Intern, we are anxious to begin interning in our various congressional offices. While we are all nervous and don’t know what to expect, we do know that we have each other to lean on.
-Sarah Pauter, 2010 Foster Youth Intern
An Intern’s Perspective: Inside CCAI
This week marks the beginning of my third month as an intern at the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute.
When I first began working here in mid-January, I knew exactly what I hoped to gain from my internship—work experience, exposure to federal policy, and a better understanding of the international adoption process that brought my cousin to the United States last year. However, I wasn’t really sure what would be expected from me. Coming into my internship, I had some knowledge of CCAI and its activities, but only a vague image of the role that I would play in the organization. Part of me was afraid that I would spend the entire spring doing menial tasks.
It didn’t take long for that to change. Within my first week on the job, I was taking notes at a State Department briefing on the state of intercountry adoptions in Haiti. Since then, I have done everything from updating the CCAI website, to researching pending foster care legislation for our bimonthly newsletter. A couple of weeks ago, I was on the phone all day alerting members of congress about an opportunity to sign on to a letter concerning adoptions from Nepal.
Of course, that isn’t to say that I don’t do my fair share of clerical work. As one of only two interns in the office, I spend a lot of time doing things like entering people into our database, editing spreadsheets, and answering the phone.
But while I used to think that stuffing envelopes and making copies was nothing but busy work, that has changed in the time that I have spent at CCAI. No matter how many envelopes I stuff, or how many copies I make—I have never once felt like any of the work I do here is meaningless. We have such a small office that the impact of my work is readily apparent, and such a close-knit staff that it is always appreciated.
A lot of things have changed since I started working here, but my personal favorite change has been to the wall in front of my desk. Initially it was pretty boring to look at, but I have started to decorate it over the past few weeks. Each sticky note has some words of wisdom or inspiration passed on to me from a member of our staff. At the end of my internship, I hope that I can look up and see an entire wall filled with notes.
And, much like I can say now that CCAI is helping me to change my wall into something that I can enjoy looking at, I hope that I can someday look back and say that I helped them change the world into a place where more children and families can enjoy living.
Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute 