For Master of Social Work student Argelis Ortiz, graduation marks the culmination of hard work not only in the classroom but in the field as well. As part of his internship with the California Youth Connection, Ortiz helped organize the group's first art exhibit and fundraiser.

"Fostering ArtVocacy" provided 40 current and former foster youth an opportunity to display and sell their artwork of various mediums. Designed to give foster youth an opportunity to share their experiences through art, the event also helped them earn a financial reward, too. More than 100 people attended and purchased $1,400 worth of art.

"This event happened because California Youth Connection allowed me to run with an idea and supported me every step of the way," said Ortiz.

He came up with the idea as a way to reach out beyond the typical audience for foster youth programs and connect with the general public.

Originally, Ortiz had hoped to have the event in an art gallery, but the economic situation made that a difficult proposition. The city of West Hollywood, however, came to the rescue. His supervisor, Jacque Lindeman, MSW '04, knew someone in the West Hollywood mayor's office, which opened up a dialogue with the city that ended with the West Hollywood city council voting to sponsor the event.

Ortiz began working for California Youth Connection in August as part of his second- year field internship. The organization connects current and former foster youths in a network of 30 youth-run chapters throughout the state. The youth share their experiences in foster care and advocate for change in foster care policy and social work practice.

"It's very unique," said Ortiz, "because the current and former foster youth drive everything, whether there are policies they want to get changed or people they want to talk to. They have the experience or stories that go along with the change."

To help the art better communicate their stories, Ortiz asked participating youth to push themselves and share why the piece they chose to display is important to them.

"I asked them to write what a particular art piece means to them or what they were going through when they made it," he said.

Art serves many different purposes for foster youth, depending on their skill levels and experiences, said Ortiz. "It's easy to say 'express yourself,' but when you've been through as much as these foster youths have, it's 'where to begin.'"

Many foster youth also struggle with wondering if their work will be truly valued.

"For the youth who were able to attend, it was shocking for them to see that people actually cared and wanted to know about their artwork, their personal story," Ortiz said. "For me, the best feeling of the night was watching the youth artists talk about their artwork, discuss what it meant to be in foster care and be elated when someone actually wanted to purchase their work."

Ortiz has observed that many foster youth create art that is designed for their fellow foster youth.

"They are basically communicating through art what other foster youth should know. They are communicating to their peers, and they also want to get stuff off their chests," he said.

He hopes the exhibition will become an annual event, allowing foster youth the opportunity to share more of their experiences and stories with a wider audience and benefit from having their work seen by the outside world.

"There are plans to possibly expand the concept into a traveling show throughout all the counties that California Youth Connection services, [and] there are talks about having a similar exhibit replicated in the northern offices [in San Francisco and Sacramento]," he said.