In the past year, NMCAN increased the number of young people we work with, engaging 127 young people in our high-touch programming compared to 101 in 2015-2016. With the support of 75 volunteers and our community partners, young people are building their chosen family and receiving personalized support as they pursue their education, employment, and more.

We also recognize Youth Leaders, a group of young advocates who are using their lived experience to lead change in the child welfare system through education, partnership, policy creation, and systems advocacy. One recent highlight was their involvement at Children’s Law Institute (CLI), an annual meeting for New Mexico judges, lawyers, child welfare/juvenile justice advocates, and service providers. They participated in a workshop with Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Sandra Gasca-Gonzalez, who facilitated a panel conversation as they discussed experiences related to cultural identity while in foster care. Young people also co-facilitated two other workshops related to achieving permanence and authentic youth engagement.

Read more about our recent accomplishments in our 2016-2017 Annual Report. Thank you to our incredible donors and partners for helping make our work possible!