Voices for Children’s Real Word is a speakers panel comprised of youth and young adults who currently live or have lived in foster care after being abused, neglected, or abandoned by their parents or caregivers. At their presentations, Real Word panelists are open and forthright about their experiences in foster care, such as what it’s like to move from home to home, how it feels to be separated from siblings, and how they coped in the face of adversity.

The Real Word panel is trained and supervised by Voices for Children, and participants have spoken both locally and nationally about life in the dependency system. Each panelist has been inspired by the caring support of the volunteer Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) assigned to them by Voices for Children. CASAs advocate for a foster child or sibling group in court, in school, and in the community, and are responsible for countless successes and positive outcomes in the lives of at-risk foster youth. The Real Word provides an educational, eye-opening experience that both celebrates CASA volunteers and communicates the vital need for more volunteer advocates.