The Initiative as an Investment

For over a decade the Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative has worked to better the lives of youth in, and formerly in, foster care. The Jim Casey Initiative has raised awareness of their circumstances, tested methods to connect youth and adults in positive and enduring relationships and promoted improved policies and practices that, across the country, are making a difference for this highly challenged group.

Today, the Jim Casey Initiative has a presence in 13 states. Its grantees and partners touch thousands of youth directly and the example of the Jim Casey Initiative’s work has inspired and guided efforts across the country. The Jim Casey Initiative has influenced policy at the federal level and in states and has been a thought leader in the field of child welfare and far beyond.  

The human stories on this website are touching and inspiring. They tell of resilient young people who succeed despite the odds, who thrive when engaged in activities that allow them to experience youth-adult partnerships, to express themselves, to take on critical roles doing important work and to be leaders in those efforts. We know, however, that many youth simply cannot overcome the odds and instead experience difficulties in securing an education, becoming and staying employed and working their way, often alone, from adolescence to adulthood.

The personal stories and inspiring narratives have touched the hearts and imagination of many who are aware of these challenged youth, and many in the Jim Casey Initiative communities, in academia, in legislatures have responded. This once invisible population has found a place on the radar screen, thanks in large measure to the work of the Jim Casey Initiative.

But there is another side to the story – a view of the Jim Casey Initiative not only as an opportunity to help unfortunate youth – but also as an opportunity to make a sound investment in policies and practices that can effectively impact young people, their families and the communities they live in. Funders across the country have already been drawn to the Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative and their numbers are growing.