We made it out the group home!

Hey all! Thanks for your continued support with Foster Youth Cultural Exchange!

As we get closer and closer to the trip, it's finally starting to hit me that I'm going to a whole new country with people that I care very deeply about. Traveling with your foster brothers and sisters is a particularly amazing experience because we all share similar experiences of being institutionalized in a government system. Because of our similar life situations, this trip presents a unique opportunity for personal growth.

When I was 15 living in a high level group home, traveling out of the country was something that just didn't seem attainable. They keep you on a pretty tight leash at places like that. I couldn't go anywhere or do anything without the approval of an adult in my life.
When I got the opportunity to go to New Zealand with FYCE a couple years ago, some of my favorite moments I shared with my brothers and sisters were when we exchanged group home stories. Every exchange ended with a warm reminder that we had "made it out the group home". It will be exciting to see first timers' reaction as they step into the airport in Lima!

Hoo-ray for making moves and breaking barriers! Let's do this, fam!