Over 100 young people with care experience from about 25 countries came together in a webinar under the guidance of the Organizing Committee of the 1st International Care Leavers Convention. See the convention website for more details: http://www.careleaversconvention.udayancare.in/

The webinars held in June-July 2020, aimed to discuss the challenges faced by youth from Alternative Care settings and collectively voicing their concerns in the form of a declaration on responding to the transnational needs of Care Leavers.

We are bringing to you the declaration which attempts to consolidate their views together, to be submitted to different stakeholders including and not limited to government agencies, regional and national forums, civil society organisations, urging them to take note of the unique circumstances of the young people and take steps to ensure they feel supported.

Please find attached, the ‘Declaration on Responding to the Transnational Needs of Care Leavers amidst COVID-19 & beyond”, for your reading, response and endorsement:

• For all the facilitating organisations: Here is a request to share this report with all your young partners and partner organisations to go through. Please do write to them in languages most comfortable to them and we look forward to receiving all their endorsements.

• To all other civil society organisations: We look forward to your responses to this report and to your solidarity with the young persons.

• Please send your statement of endorsement and solidarity to sylc@udayancare.org along with your name, name of your organisation/group and area of operation (District, State etc).

The Organizing Committee along with a team of young people with care experience wishes to take this entire process forward – in different states, regions and nationally. We highly value all the support you have already given to our process and look forward to long term collaboration with each one of you.