Support Mary-Lynn to join care-experienced delegates at Foster Youth Conference in Washington DC

Kia ora,

For the past 18-months, I’ve been part of the National Youth Council at VOYCE - Whakarongo Mai. If you’ve never heard of VOYCE, it’s an advocacy organisation in Aotearoa New Zealand that exists to amplify the voices of children in state care (Oranga Tamariki) and ensure that they are heard.

Our National Youth Council is made up of care-experienced youth all across Aotearoa (including me!). We work on advocacy projects across the motu to make sure that the next generation of kiwi kids in care have it better than we did.

Four members of our council (me again!) have been selected to travel to the US in June 2022. We’ll be meeting other care experienced advocates in LA and attending the National Foster Youth Conference in Washington DC where we’ll be shadowing a diplomat.

It’ll be my first international trip and I’m very excited to learn more about the world! I’m also excited to meet other amazing young people who’ve been advocating for better care standards in their country, learn from them, and also share our learnings from Aotearoa.

All of us are fundraising $1,000 towards the cost of the trip. A koha from you is a direct investment into this trip, our collective professional development, and the heart of the mahi we do: ensuring the most vulnerable kiwi kids are heard and cared for.

If you’re interested in learning about VOYCE: https://voyce.org.nz/annual-report-2021/

For a bit more about my story: https://www.facebook.com/VodafoneNZFoundation/videos/1810249609154554