National Adoption Month 2025
30 Years of Believing in Family
For 30 years, You Gotta Believe (YGB) has stood for one simple truth: every young person deserves family — no matter their age, no matter what.
This November, as we celebrate National Adoption Month, we’re also marking YGB’s 30th Anniversary — three decades of helping young people find family, build belonging, and believe in what’s possible.
Honoring Youth, Strengthening Bonds
What Is National Adoption Month?
Held each year on the Saturday before Thanksgiving — this year, November 22, 2025 — National Adoption Month celebrates the power of family.
Across the country, courthouses open their doors as judges, advocates, and families gather to make adoptions official — a life-changing moment when love and law align.
This National Adoption Day, two YGB youth will be adopted — a joyful celebration of why we do this work: helping every young person find the family they deserve.
What It Represents?
National Adoption Month reminds us that family isn’t about perfection — it’s about connection. It stands for the belief that every young person deserves someone to show up for them, no matter their age, background, or story.
It’s also a time to look deeper: to see the youth still waiting, and the systems that sometimes make that wait too long.
Ways to Celebrate — and Keep the Movement Growing
You don’t have to attend a court hearing to take part.
This month — and especially on November 22 — you can celebrate through awareness, advocacy, and community building:
- Share stories of family and belonging. Talk about what family means to you and help break the silence that keeps older youth overlooked.
- Bust myths, replace fear with facts. When you hear someone say “teens are too hard to adopt,” offer a different perspective — that most just need consistency, patience, and love.
- Host a gathering or conversation. Whether it’s at home, at work, or online, start a discussion about youth in care and how we can all make family possible.
- Honor the families who’ve stepped up — and the youth still waiting. Post, tag, and share stories that inspire connection.
Family Is for Everyone — And We Mean Everyone
If you’ve ever dreamed about growing your family, this might be your moment.
At You Gotta Believe, we welcome all kinds of families — single parents, LGBTQIA+ parents, couples, and chosen families. If you’ve got room in your heart and your life for a young person who needs someone in their corner, you belong here.
“You don’t have to be perfect to be family. You just have to keep showing up.”
Real Ways You Can Show Up Right Now
- Become a Mentor or Volunteer. Spend time with a teen who needs an adult who listens. Just a few consistent hours a month can change how they see themselves and the future.
- Host a YGB Info Night or Story Circle. Gather friends in your living room, community center, or coffee shop. We’ll bring the stories, the truth, and the hope.
- Be an Ally. Speak up when you hear stigma. Help others see that older youth deserve love, family, and second chances — just like anyone else.
- Support Youth-Led Projects. Donate to programs that let young people with lived experience lead, share their stories, and shape their own futures.
- Stay Connected. Follow YGB on social media, share a post, or join our mailing list. Every time you spread the word, you’re helping a young person find family.
“Family isn’t a title — it’s a series of choices to show up.”
Honoring Queer, BIPOC, and Nontraditional Family-Making
Family comes in every shape and story. At YGB, we celebrate all of them — queer families, families of color, single parents, and chosen families who build love through community.
Because family isn’t defined by blood or paperwork. It’s defined by belonging, belief, and the courage to keep showing up.
Celebrating 30 Years of Believing
For 30 years, YGB has stood for one unshakable truth:
No young person should age out of foster care without the lifetime support of family.
- Legal and moral adoptions
- Kinship and reunification placements
- Parent training and post-placement support
Because of you: 1,000+ parents trained, 2× adoption rates for YGB youth, 500+ permanent family connections.
