Voices of Foster Care

Welcome to The HIP Team's Voices of Foster Care Site!

We are excited to present a fresh and fantastic communications curriculum for young adults who are aging out of foster care. Our creative workforce development platform includes elements of reading, writing, public speaking, video, and theater production. The young people will have fun developing skills, working in teams, and finding their voices, while creating a historical oratorical.  

If you are interested in participating in any way, please email info@hipinc.org. Support us by ordering Voices of Foster Care Merchandise.

Upcoming projects for the 2022-2023 Season include:

• Voices of Foster Care Anthology (Book)
• Voices of Foster Care Public Speaking Course (Online)
• Voices of Foster Care Speech Master Class
• Voices of Foster Care Documentary Production Construction
• Voices of Foster Care Writer's Room
• Voices of Foster Care Summertime Yoga with Random Acts of Healing

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If you have ever been in foster care and would like to share your story in the Voices of Foster Care Anthology, please email info@hipinc.org.

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Voices of Foster Care Public Speaking Course

Classes are free. The next course begins on July 2, 2022.

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* Note to Students: To participate in the first Voices of Foster Care Documentary, you must first complete the online course.

They have survived the system that produces 80% of inmates on death row. Now, as they age out of the foster care system, these 6 young people must face a live worldwide audience, watching as they step into adulthood to present their voices on stage.

It is said that public speaking is the #1 fear of humankind. Indeed, effective communication is a universal key, that can open many doors, including that of the American oval office. In fact, we have seen this in a full demonstration with the elections of President Obama and President Trump. While politically, polar opposites, both men swayed a nation to extreme firsts with powerful words. Yet, despite its necessity, Public Speaking is only an often overlooked elective course in public school, when and if it is available.  Project C.O.V.E. (Collective Oratory Voices for Excellence) is a bold new initiative in Georgia, which hypothesizes that improved communication skills can change the trajectory of a person's life and well-being. 

As small children, when we are unable to communicate, we throw tantrums and cry. As adults, when we are unable to communicate effectively, we make mistakes that can be devastating and irreversible.  With nurturing and education, it is thought that we will all grow into well-adjusted citizens, capable of reasoning through life's obstacles. But all-too-often, foster children are stunted in their growth the moment they have been ripped away from their natural families. Abandonment issues metastasize faster than cancer and spread from these brokenhearted children, through families and entire communities. These children learn, early on, that they have no say in their own lives, and sometimes tolerate extreme abuses to keep from being given away again. There are 400,000, that's Four Hundred Thousand abandoned and removed children, suffering from the sins of their parents, bound with red-tape, being hardened for sadists and sex traffickers, becoming food for pimps, and being systematically prepared for private prisons - while we say nothing. Voice of Foster Care is a life-changing experience for personal growth and the facilitation of new relationships. Paired with students and recent graduates from Georgia State University, Our students will not only learn how to speak but will also, demonstrate in a self-produced public exhibition, which will be filmed live and broadcast worldwide. So, no matter where you are, if you can get online, you can watch the evolution of our young people as they rise, like the Phoenix, from the ashes left of adults who have failed them. But this is no pity party. Voices of Foster Care is a celebration of the future.

Employability & Personal Development 

• Improved written and verbal Communication Skills
• Confidence & Anxiety Management
• Preparedness & Planning
• Expressive and Expository Writing
• Casual Conversation vs Professional Communication 
• Problem-solving
• Environmental Adaptability
• Group/Partner Collaboration
• Research and Resource Management
• Organizational Skills
• Interpersonal skills
• Decision-making skills  
• Responsibility and Accountability
• Initiative & Leadership
• Information Use
• Accomplishment
• Analyzing Facts and Figures
• Defining Challenges
• Devising Contingency Plans
• Creating and Implementing Solutions