Diving into Foster Care to Heal 10 Social Wounds
GO UPSTREAM AVAILABLE NOW
Kids who age out of foster care are substantially more at risk of suicide, PTSD, addiction, human trafficking, teen pregnancy, homelessness and more. Without a stable family, consistent support system, or safety net, many face heartbreaking and preventable outcomes. These “social wounds” don’t appear out of nowhere – they are symptoms of a system stretched thin and a community not yet fully mobilized.
Go Upstream explores how these impactful social wounds and connect to foster care. Each chapter is backed by data and brought to life with real-life experiences and stories. The book offers practical solutions for individuals and communities to turn the tide upstream, exploring how helping kids belong by 18 can calm these turbulent waters and reduce risks for life-derailing struggles.
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“When youth age out of foster care, we age out of one crisis and into another.”
Annika Marek-Barta
THE CHALLENGE
Go Upstream doesn’t just spotlight heartbreaking statistics, it shows readers what it looks like to make change at the source. Mavis challenges us to move beyond crisis response and toward prevention, community building, and wrap around care.
The book explores powerful models, stories of redemption, and profound ways that we can change the trajectory of a child’s life before they age out.
When we “go upstream,” we’re not only helping kids in crisis; we’re strengthening families, transforming systems, and healing communities. Every chapter of Go Upstream is an invitation to understand, empathize, and act – because the foster care crisis is not a niche issue. It’s a community issue.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Brian Mavis, founder of America’s Kids Belong, is a pastor, husband, father and grandfather who, with his wife, fostered 9 kids and is a proud grandpa to six, half adopted through foster care.
More than two decades of leadership and lived experience drive his call to help every child find belonging with a family.
