Maine Youth Digital Stories

“Storytelling is a powerful way to connect real-life scenarios to important practice issues. Real-life stories of children, youth, and families can help child welfare workers, managers, training staff, and others engage audiences in a variety of settings.” -U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services, Administration for Children & Families

In February 2013, with the support and guidance of the National Resource Center for Permanency and Family Connections, the Maine Youth Transition Collaborative (MYTC) and the Youth Leadership Advisory Team (YLAT) co-sponsored four youth and their adult allies to work together in creating digital stories that illustrate the youth’s personal experiences transitioning from the foster care system. The digital story titles – Unconditional Love, Connect the Dots, Journey of Life, and Belonging – reflect the themes that each person identified through reflection and dialogue.

Tyler and Rebecca’s video Unconditional Love illustrates how taking a chance with a new family led to adoption for a Maine youth and a reunion with his siblings.
The video Connect the Dots showcases Casey and Martin from Maine and how becoming connected can change lives.
See the story of how Mili helped Tyneshia reconnect to her Native American heritage in the video Belonging.
Watch how, with the love and support from Aunt Julie, Jessica is able to overcome many losses in her life and is achieving her goals in Journey of Life.