Events
Join California Youth Connection at our upcoming events
California Youth Connection is a youth-led organization. Our mission is to develop and grow leaders who empower each other and our communities to transform the foster care and intersecting systems. Our work has transformed the foster care system, resulting in the passage of dozens of new laws that have profoundly improved the lives of hundreds of thousands of California foster youth.
Join California Youth Connection at our next event to stay on the cutting edge of change and engage directly with those who are driving it.
Our in-person events and gatherings are essential to moving our local and statewide work forward.
Summer Leadership & Policy Conference
California Youth Connection members, staff, and supporters gathered in Emeryville, CA from June 20-23, 2025 for our annual Summer Leadership & Policy Conference (SLPC).
The Statewide Leadership & Policy Conference (SLPC) is a vital part of CYC’s ongoing rhythm of action. These powerful event convened youth leaders across California to:
- Deepen their understanding of CYC’s five statewide priorities,
- Explore local issues impacting youth and communities,
- Learn how to organize within their regions and build local power,
- Create meaningful, system-level change rooted in lived experience,
- Develop the skills to generate statewide policy and legislative agendas informed by local grassroots organizing and listening sessions,
- Understand how to uplift youth voice into actionable, youth-driven strategies that center equity and lived expertise.
Through hands-on workshops, participants will dive into root cause analysis and examine the interconnectedness of CYC’s five priorities, learning how local advocacy efforts can drive statewide systems change.
Foster Care Awareness Month Virtual Event
Foster Care Awareness Month is recognized annually in May. This month is a time to raise awareness on the challenges youth and children in foster care face. It is also a time to uplift the advocates, allies, workers, and organizations that support youth in foster care and their families. In honor of Foster Care Awareness Month, California Youth Connection is hosting a Virtual 5K event for the entire month of May. This event is encouraging participation from anywhere, at anytime between May 1 – May 31, 2025. Join us and raise awareness and funds for our important work.
Day at the Capitol 2025
California Youth Connection members, staff, supporters, and Board of Directors gathered in Sacramento from March 14 – 17, 2025 for our annual Day at the Capitol conference.
California Youth Connection’s (CYC) annual Day at the Capitol (DAC) conference has resulted in the passage of dozens of new laws and policies that have profoundly improved the lives of children and youth in foster care. Our conferences receive statewide media attention and have become national models of youth-led advocacy.
During Day at the Capitol (DAC), California Youth Connection (CYC) members are trained on the legislative process and have the opportunity to meet with members of the legislature to discuss their ideas for improving the foster care and juvenile justice systems.
Learn more about Day at the Capitol here.
Leaders 4 Change 2024
Pictured Above: CYC members and staff attend the 2024 Leaders 4 Change conference.
Leaders 4 Change brought together Foster Youth In Action’s network and 13 partnering organizations in D.C. to reflect on the progress made through youth-led advocacy and focus on the policy changes needed for the safety and well-being of youth in foster care.
Learn more about Leaders 4 Change here.
More Events Coming Soon!
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