The approach of fall and back-to-school days bring a host of milestones for high school students and those bound for college. As teens mark these milestones, most are fortunate to have the emotional and financial support of family members. However, without money for things like class trips, formal attire, transportation and graduation fees, youth in foster care often abandon these time-honored rights of passage.
When youth who have aged out of foster care discuss their high school experiences, they often share what it is like when a parent or caregiver is not there to share in important school events, particularly their graduation. One youth in particular, tells how his guidance counselor attended his graduation and took him out to dinner afterwards.
Every year, an estimated 20,000 to 25,000 young people exit the foster care system and many find it difficult to cope with the consequences of long and often unstable experiences living in an out of home placement. These young people tell stories of not wanting to form bonds with foster families or finding it hard to participate in a foster family’s social activities.
Youth in the system are often confronted with emotional, behavioral, developmental, and health problems that are not common to their peers. High unemployment rates, scarcity of jobs, and the lack of affordable housing options also put young people transitioning out of foster care at a significant disadvantage.
Stepping up to the plate to help raise awareness and give youth in foster care a voice in solving these problems is the National Foster Youth Advisory Council (NFYAC). NFYAC members believe that with a solid plan for their future and a reliable support network, youth formerly in foster care can become thriving, productive and contributing members of their communities.
NFYAC believes all young people need and deserve:
* Opportunities to work closely with their social worker and others who care to develop a solid, effective plan for transitioning to adulthood;
* Information, resources, and strategies that promote positive experiences in school and in the community;
* Compassionate, committed adults who are willing to be and advocate and provide life long connections;
* Opportunities and resources that allow them to build a healthy peer support network;
* Safe, stable and affordable housing arranged before they leave foster care; and
* Access to resources, services and financial supports that promote and support long-term success.
Unfortunately, many young people in foster care do not have the option of turning to their families for help. Instead, they have to figure out how to make ends meet on their own even though events in their lives place them at an increased risk for experiencing adversity in the process.
But like all young people, home, school, and all the facets of a foster youth's life are connected, making it even more important to support them in ALL areas before and while making the step from foster care into adulthood. Let’s begin this spring by making a commitment to helping youth in foster care succeed. You can volunteer at your local foster care agency or by participating in a mentoring program for youth in foster care to help bring hope for a brighter future to the thousands of youth who will age out of the system this year.
The National Foster Youth Advisory Council (NFYAC), is supported by the Child Welfare League of America and the Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative.
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Additional information on these and other youth issues can be found on the CWLA Web site at www.cwla.org/programs/positiveyouth/default.htm. - ARA
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