Real Stories on the Big Screen

🎥 4 projects (2021–2025), serving 50 youth.
Funded by the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation in partnership with New Yorkers For Children.

Foster Care Unplugged’s short film program turns lived experiences into cinematic storytelling. Over 12 weeks, youth collaborate with professional writers, directors, and coaches to transform their journeys into powerful short films that advocate for change, build confidence, and foster healing.

What’s Part of the Service:

 
• Trauma-informed script development workshops.
 
• Acting training, on-set production skills, and storytelling development.
 
• Hands-on experience with professional cinematographers, directors, and editors.
 
• Vocational training in filmmaking, production, and creative arts.
 
• Portfolio and resume development for youth pursuing future opportunities.

Public Showcases and Media Reach:
Short films produced through this program have been screened at national child welfare   conferences, youth empowerment summits, and private events hosted by child welfare stakeholders.
More than 5000 viewers have experienced these youth-led stories, including NYC Mayor’s Office representatives, child welfare leaders, birth parents, foster parents, youth advocates, and prominent funders.
Our projects have also been featured across news stations, podcasts, activist vlogs, and major news publications — amplifying youth voices across the country.

Why You Should Refer a Youth:
Foster Care Unplugged’s short film projects empower youth to heal through storytelling, advocate for change, and build essential vocational and leadership skills.
By transforming their lived experiences into films, youth not only share their voices but also create new opportunities for their futures.

Foster Care Unplugged: The Stage Play

Healing Through Storytelling and Performance
🎭 5 cohorts (2019–2025), serving 62 youth.
Funded by the Administration for Children’s Services (ACS).

Service Overview

Our 12-weekStage Play program empowers youth to turn their lived experiences into a bold, moving theatrical production.
Working alongside professional acting coaches, writers, and directors, participants develop and perform original scripts rooted in their personal journeys — transforming trauma into triumph on stage.

What’s Included:

• 12-week trauma-informed theater program
• Script development from youth life stories
• Acting, performance, and stage presence coaching
• Production design and teamwork training
• Public showcase of the final stage play for community audiences

Vocational Skills Development:

Participants gain real-world skills that extend far beyond the stage:

• Acting and stage performance techniques
• Scriptwriting and character development
• Stage management and backstage operations
• Team collaboration and leadership
• Public speaking and audience engagement

These skills create new pathways into the arts, theater, education, and communications fields, while also enhancing youth confidence in professional settings.

Program Impact:

• 5 Stage Play cohorts completed (2019–2025)
• 62 youth served, 90% of whom reported increased self-esteem and emotional resilience
• Pre- and post-survey results show a 23% self-esteem increase among participants

-Public performances have been hosted for over 2,000 audience members, including representatives from the Mayor's Office of NYC, birth parents, foster parents, youth with child welfare involvement, funders, and key stakeholders. Our work has also been featured across various media platforms, including news stations, podcasts, social activist vlogs, and newspapers.

Why It Matters:

The Stage Play program helps youth process their experiences in a creative, empowering environment.
Through storytelling, performance, and teamwork, participants reclaim their voices, heal from trauma, and inspire their communities.

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