2026–2027 Statewide Initiative
The Building Better Futures Listening Tour
A statewide youth engagement and systems change initiative that centers the expertise of current and former foster youth in shaping the future of child welfare in Texas — because better futures should be built with young people, not simply for them.
Why a Listening Tour?
Young people keep asking the same question.
"What happened with everything we shared?"
For decades, youth with lived experience have informed systems through testimony, advisory committees, focus groups, and research — yet too often their insight never results in visible action. The Listening Tour exists to change that. Every conversation has a purpose, every participant knows their voice matters, and every insight has the opportunity to become action across technology, research, policy, and public engagement.
Our Goals
Six objectives guide the inaugural campaign.
Listen
Welcoming, accessible, trauma-informed opportunities for current and former foster youth to share experiences, ideas, and expertise.
Learn
Identify recurring strengths, barriers, patterns, and opportunities across child welfare and interconnected systems.
Build
Transform participant expertise into practical tools, research, educational resources, technology, and policy solutions.
Connect
Strengthen relationships among young people, community organizations, researchers, advocates, and policymakers.
Empower
Recognize lived experience as professional expertise by compensating participants for their time and insight.
Act
Demonstrate how community knowledge shapes our work through ongoing reporting, collaboration, and measurable outcomes.
Campaign Design
Three ways young people can take part.
Multiple formats ensure participation is accessible regardless of geography, transportation, schedules, or community connections.
Virtual Listening Sessions
Sixty-minute facilitated discussions with ~5 participants each, open to youth from every region of Texas — no travel required.
12 sessions · ~60 participants
Regional Community Conversations
Larger gatherings hosted with community partners — shared meals, facilitated dialogue, and local relationship-building.
9 regions · 15–25 per event
Partner Listening Sessions
Collaborations with CASA programs, alumni networks, colleges, and nonprofits — meeting young people where they already gather.
Statewide partnership network
Planned Regions
A campaign built for every corner of Texas.
- Lubbock (Panhandle)
- El Paso (Far West Texas)
- Dallas–Fort Worth
- Tyler (East Texas)
- Austin
- San Antonio
- Houston
- Corpus Christi (Coastal Bend)
- Rio Grande Valley
Campaign Timeline
The plan across fall, winter, and spring.
Fall 2026
September – November
Launch & first sessions
- Launch the inaugural virtual pilot and refine facilitation methods
- Begin monthly virtual listening sessions
- Host the first regional community conversations
Winter 2026–27
December – February
Expand & review
- Continue statewide virtual engagement across regions
- Conduct a midpoint review of themes and process
- Deepen partnerships with community organizations
Spring 2027
March – May
Regional expansion & findings
- Expand regional conversations and surface emerging statewide themes
- Complete the inaugural campaign
- Publish findings and announce the next phase of The Fostered's work
From Conversation to Action
What the inaugural campaign will produce.
Community Engagement
- ~20 facilitated sessions
- ~100 compensated youth participants
- Every major Texas region represented
- Expanded statewide partnerships
Research & Knowledge
- Statewide findings report
- Regional summaries
- Systems barriers analysis
- Emerging research agenda
Technology
- Prioritized UX recommendations
- Product requirements from lived experience
- Future platform enhancements
Policy & Systems Change
- Policy issue briefs
- Practice improvement recommendations
- Legislative priorities
- Future advocacy initiatives
The Impact of Funds
Where support goes — and what it makes possible.
Support for the Listening Tour is an investment in compensated youth expertise, trauma-informed engagement, and the translation of lived experience into systems change. The allocation below is illustrative — the largest share always goes to the young people whose expertise drives this work.
Participant stipends
Compensating youth for their time and expertise — recognizing lived experience as professional expertise.
Facilitation & care
Trauma-informed facilitators, co-facilitators, note-takers, and accessible virtual platforms.
Venues, meals & travel
Regional gathering spaces, shared meals, and travel support so geography is never a barrier.
Research & reporting
Turning insight into a statewide findings report, regional summaries, and a public research agenda.
Technology development
Feeding lived experience directly into SaySo and future platform enhancements.
Coordination & operations
Campaign logistics, partnership management, and ongoing communication back to participants.
Partnership Opportunities
How you can help.
Community organizations, foundations, businesses, universities, government agencies, and individual supporters can partner with The Fostered. Every partnership expands opportunities for young people to shape the future of foster care in Texas.
Host a regional conversation
Provide a welcoming space and help convene young people in your community.
Sponsor participant stipends
Directly fund compensation that recognizes youth expertise.
Provide meeting space
Offer a venue for a virtual or regional session.
Support meals or travel
Remove the practical barriers that keep youth from participating.
Connect young people
Invite current and former foster youth in your network to join a session.
Volunteer expertise
Lend research, design, legal, or policy skills to translate insight into action.
Looking Ahead
The people closest to the challenges are also closest to the solutions.
The inaugural Listening Tour is the foundation of a long-term statewide effort to ensure lived experience informs technology, research, public policy, and systems improvement.