Ashoka Fellow Susan Silverman
Ashoka Fellow since 2024   |   United States

Susan Silverman

Second Nurture
Susan Silverman is creating a new model to support foster kids and families by tapping into the existing social capital of faith-based communities and creating new roles for everyone to play in…
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This description of Susan Silverman's work was prepared when Susan Silverman was elected to the Ashoka Fellowship in 2024.

Introduction

Susan Silverman is creating a new model to support foster kids and families by tapping into the existing social capital of faith-based communities and creating new roles for everyone to play in support of young people.

The New Idea

Rabbi Susan Silverman founded the non-profit Second Nurture to transform the experience of fostering from one of isolation and difficulty to one of belonging and shared responsibility. Susan envisions a future where the decision to become a foster parent won't be so daunting, and where people allRead more

The Problem

Over 400,000 kids are in foster care on any given day in the U.S., more than 100,000 of which are awaiting placement in a permanent home. One in three American adults has considered fostering or adoption at some point but the vast majority decide against it because the current system is so brokenRead more

The Strategy

For Second Nurture (2N), the way to break this cycle of trauma and pain is to help foster families be successful and to make fostering a possibility for more people. Susan’s strategy is to solve both problems simultaneously by refashioning the fostering relationship from one confined to theRead more

The Person

Susan grew up in New Hampshire as one of four sisters in a Jewish family that fostered kids. She experienced having her sister, Rose, leave the home to be moved closer to her biological siblings. Her infant brother died in an accident at the age of two. This yearning for a lost child melded withRead more