Programs & Initiatives
Racial Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI)
Since its inception in 2012, our organization has been implicitly committed to cultural competence, cultural humility, social justice, anti-racism, equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) and to dismantling inequitable power dynamics in systems. We seek to model these commitments in the way we operate, in our programs, and services: we strive to have these commitments be actualized not just expressed.
Youth Leadership Development
BSF has created a Youth Leadership Development curriculum used in the administration of the Illinois DCFS Youth Advisory Board program. We administer this program as adult partners guiding and assisting youth in the care of the child welfare system with having a voice and advocating for substantive systemic change.
LGBTQIA+
Supporting service providers in gaining the skills, programmatic capacity, and access to resources in order to create equitable outcomes for LGBTQIA+ children, youth, and families. At the end of 2021, we revamped our signature Parent Cafés to ensure inclusivity for LGBTQIA+ parents. In 2022–23 we developed and produced the Home Is Where the Heart Is Café series for parents of LGBTQIA+ children. Next was a curriculum reframing positive adolescent development to include the current gender and sexuality spectrum that youth are experiencing.
Sustainability
Like climate change, environmental injustice affects communities of color and vulnerable communities disproportionately and consequently there is a natural intersectional opportunity to bridge the climate change activism and environmental justice fields with family-serving programs.