Youth Empowering Success (YES!)

YES! BrochureLearn how to start a YES! Chapter

Are you a 6th-12th grader who has experienced foster care? Youth Empowering Success (YES!) is an organization created to mentor and empower foster youth like YOU!

Learn. Grow. Lead!

Youth Empowering Success (YES!) are school-site organizations where you can meet regularly with other students in foster care, hear from guest speakers on topics chosen by you, and participate in educational field trips, leadership opportunities, and annual conferences!

YES! is not a school club, but rather an organization that offer foster youth a safe space to become connected, educated, inspired and represented with their confidentiality in place. Voluntary and student-driven, each YES! chapter fits the needs identified by its members, so every YES! chapter is as unique as its members! 

The YES! Colors & Motto

• Yellow: Symbolizes friendship and community.
• Navy Blue: Represents knowledge, integrity, and speaking your truth.
• Turquoise: The color of independence, self-sufficiency, and strength.

Each chapter can adopt its own motto, but the regional YES! motto is “Prepared for Success.” This should be the goal of every member and leader.

YES! Goals

Every YES! Chapter is different and every Chapter has different needs. However,

However, YES! can be broken down into three types of chapters: community, support, and youth voice – and most YES! chapters are a combination of all three!

Community: YES! chapters are social groups that offer a safe space to build community with peers and adults where your foster care experience is respected.

Before YES! I felt like I was alone, now I see that there are other youth just like me.

A YES! Student

Support: YES! chapters provide safety and confidentiality, teaching you about your rights as a student in foster care and helping you access important resources and services in your school and community.

For a lot of my life, I have felt unwanted. I have learned in YES! that I can help others who want to reach their goals like YES! has for me.

Student Voice: In YES!, you can gain leadership skills to communicate and collaborate with other foster youth, raise awareness of foster youth needs, and help improve school policies and the foster care system.

Numbers do matter. When we stand together, they have to listen.

YES! Conference

Every March, the YES! Conference introduces youth to the building blocks of leadership and goal setting through interactive workshops on self-advocacy, public speaking, and self-esteem. Held at Bakersfield College, you will also learn about higher education and explore future careers while having fun and meeting new friends from across Kern County.

Youth attendees come away with a sense of connection, purpose, and, most important of all…knowledge that so many in our community care about YOU!

Get Involved Today!

Ready to join or start a YES! Chapter at your school? Contact Foster Youth Services at fosteredcoordinator@kern.org or call 661-636-4900 to find out how you can be a part of this empowering community.