National Adoption Association (NAA) 2026 National Conference - Boston

This interactive training strengthens the capacity of child welfare professionals to uplift and partner with youth in foster care by centering their voices, honoring their legal rights, and cultivating healing‑centered practices. Participants will examine ways to amplify youth voice, support young people in understanding and exercising their rights, and co‑create opportunities for youth to bring fresh vision and momentum to long‑standing systems. The session highlights how NAA intentionally integrates protégés—young adults with lived experience in foster care who are entering the workforce—into the Ujima Collective. This innovative model offers a forward‑thinking blueprint for succession planning and sustainable systems‑change leadership. Through real‑world scenarios, collaborative design activities, and youth‑centered healing approaches, professionals will gain practical methods for elevating young people as true partners in shaping their lives and transforming the systems designed to support them.