Award-Winning Festival Standout “Unadopted” Documentary to Premiere Nationally on PBS

YR Media’s acclaimed youth-led portrayal of the U.S. foster care system makes national debut during National Foster Care Month

OAKLAND, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–#FosterCare–On any given day, there are nearly 424,000 children in foster care in the U.S. Additionally, despite the common perception that the majority of children in foster care are very young, the average age of kids entering care is 8 and a third of them are people of color. By the time they are in their teens, they are all but invisible within a system that has given up finding them a forever family. But why?

This May, in conjunction with National Foster Care Month, YR Media’s Unadopted documentary explores that very question with a national debut on PBS. The award-winning nonprofit and one of their youth employees, 22-year-old Noel Anaya, co-produced the film that both raises awareness and demands action by exploring one long-standing question — what happens when you’re “too old” to get adopted? It happens all too often, as in 2019 alone, more than 20,000 young people aged out of foster care without permanent families. The effect can be life altering as research has shown that those who leave care without being linked to forever families have a higher likelihood than youth in the general population to experience homelessness, unemployment, and incarceration as adults.

Anaya’s own story forms the basis for the 33-minute documentary, as he investigates both the social welfare system’s silent but pervasive systemic bias against families of color and “older youth,” as well as his own life experiences as a child who spent 20 years in foster care before fighting to recover his own records and ties with his biological family.

After a highly successful festival run — including being named an official selection of Virtual Crossroads 2020, “Honorable Mention: Audience Choice” of the Salute Your Shorts Festival, and receiving the James Madison Student Journalist and Platinum AVA Awards — Unadopted will air May 1, 2021, on KQED, and will air nationally on PBS local affiliates throughout Foster Care Awareness Month. Please check local listings for air times.

“The making of Unadopted is my effort to educate the public and push for real change for the next generation of children and young adults growing up in the broken foster care system,” said Anaya, now a college student in Oakland, California. “I hope that we’ll soon see a system that allows all children and young adults to get a chance to find loving, supportive, and stable homes. Everyone deserves that.”

“We are grateful to Noel for his continued leadership on this issue and for all of the young people profiled in the film who refuse to be rendered invisible in the face of a pervasive problem,” said Kyra Kyles, YR Media CEO. “Their stories need to be heard.”

Funding for Unadopted was provided by the Ford Foundation, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Pivotal Ventures, May and Stanley Smith Charitable Trust, and The Jensen Family. Licensing for Unadopted is available through Good Docs. For more information on the film, please visit www.unadoptedfilm.com.

About YR Media

YR Media, formerly Youth Radio, is an award-winning national network of diverse young journalists and artists from underrepresented communities who create content for this generation. Headquartered in downtown Oakland, California, our nonprofit has spent 25 years helping future generations build crucial skills in journalism, arts, and media. We produce journalism, music, graphic design, podcasts, and documentaries that disrupt and shape the mainstream narrative.

About PBS

PBS, with more than 330 member stations, offers all Americans the opportunity to explore new ideas and new worlds through television and digital content. Each month, PBS reaches over 120 million people through television and 26 million people online, inviting them to experience the worlds of science, history, nature, and public affairs; to hear diverse viewpoints; and to take front row seats to world-class drama and performances. PBS’ broad array of programs has been consistently honored by the industry’s most coveted award competitions. Teachers of children from pre-K through 12th grade turn to PBS for digital content and services that help bring classroom lessons to life. Decades of research confirms that PBS’ premier children’s media service, PBS KIDS, helps children build critical literacy, math, and social-emotional skills, enabling them to find success in school and life. Delivered through member stations, PBS KIDS offers high-quality educational content on TV — including a 24/7 channel, online at pbskids.org, via an array of mobile apps, and in communities across America. More information about PBS is available at www.pbs.org, one of the leading dot-org websites on the internet, or by following PBS on Twitter, Facebook, or through our apps for mobile and connected devices. Specific program information and updates for press are available at pbs.org/pressroom or by following PBS Communications on Twitter.

About KQED

KQED serves the people of Northern California with a public-supported alternative to commercial media. An NPR and PBS affiliate based in San Francisco, KQED is home to one of the most listened-to public radio stations in the nation, one of the highest-rated public television services, and an award-winning education program helping students and educators thrive in 21st-century classrooms. A trusted news source and leader and innovator in interactive technology, KQED takes people of all ages on journeys of exploration — exposing them to new people, places, and ideas. www.kqed.org

Contacts

Heath Meyer

858-768-1527

pr@zmcommunications.com