National Foster Care Month is observed each year in May. The Foster Youth Awareness Month (#FYAM) initiative began at UC Merced in May 2019. The learning outcomes of #FYAM include increasing understanding of the experiences of foster youth, bringing foster youth together to build community, raising awareness within the Merced community and beyond, and identifying at least two ways to support the foster youth community.
In 2020, the program launched its own #FYAM website and created a social media campaign on Facebook and Instagram featuring artwork, personal poems, and stories from foster youth across California. Through these efforts, we reached over 10,000 individuals across all platforms. *Please note that the website is currently not up to date.
In 2021, the program adopted a new approach to the #FYAM campaign by offering events tailored to community members, staff and faculty, foster youth across the state, and Guardian Scholars Program students. We hosted our first open event, inviting students from California community colleges, UCs, and CSUs to share their goals by creating virtual vision boards. We also organized our first GSP Information Session and Ally Training for UC Merced staff, faculty, and community members. Additionally, we updated the #FYAM website with new artwork.
This May 2026, the Guardian Scholars Program is excited to host its annual #FYAM campaign once again — stay tuned for upcoming events and opportunities to get involved!
