This slideshow of postcards made by alumni of the foster care system showed up in my mailbox recently and I feel it needs to be shared. These simple postcards are able to convey the complex feelings and experiences of many youth in foster care and to shed light on what it might be like to grow up in foster care for those who haven’t been there and find it difficult to imagine.

Like I said, I thought it needed to be shared. Please take a minute to check it out, I think you’ll be glad you did.

This national community art project is an undertaking of Foster Care Alumni of America and is intended to build (the foster care alumni) community at the same time we educate foster care professionals and providers, and the general public, about our culture.

As the alumni movement has grown and gained momentum, we have discovered that regardless of age, race, ethnicity, geography, education, occupation, or placement history, as alumni of the foster care system we have a great deal in common. Our shared experiences form the basis of a shared culture-the culture of foster care. We are exploring the culture of foster care through our community art project where people in and from foster care share their observations, insights, and lessons on postcards.

Foster Care Alumni of America is a national non-profit association that has been founded and is led by alumni of the foster care system. We use the term alumni to describe those of us who have been in foster care during our childhood/youth.

The mission of FCAA is to connect the alumni community and to transform foster care policy and practice, ensuring opportunity for people in and from foster care.

*all italicized type is taken directly from the FCAA website