Gary Stangler

As I traveled the country in May attending special community screenings of the PBS documentary "Aging Out," I was struck by the firm commitment and passion of people to help young adults successfully transition from foster care. At these events in city after city, hundreds of people offered to become mentors or volunteers in our projects. In some cases, these events led to state initiatives to promote permanent family connections and jobs for youth. I also met the many young people who are the best advocates for supporting youth aging out of care.

The documentary, which aired nationally in May, helped raise awareness about the outcomes faced by young people who age out of foster care. These events are an important step toward creating permanent community anchors for youth, such as mentors, employers, and family connections.

In June, we held our annual convening in St. Louis for all our grantees, a conference attended by adult site leaders and youth. Again, I heard young adults talk about how much they wanted permanent connections to their communities, including those caring adults whom they could call in the wee hours of the morning, or a case worker, or foster parents who never gave up, or even a circle of other youth in foster care. But what was clear is how much they all wanted to have permanent lifelong connections to adults and their communities.

At the Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative, we are focused on doing just that - helping communities build partnerships that help young adults successfully transition from foster care.

All the Best,
Gary

• Youth Engagement Makes Nashville a Powerhouse
• "Aging Out" Won Critical Praise, Sparked Community Discussions
• Youth Aging Out of Foster Care Are Focus of Capitol Hill Briefing
• Youth's Story on Capitol Hill Spurs New Proposed Legislation
• More Than 100 Grantee Site Reps Meet in St. Louis to Focus on Youth Permanency
• Des Moines Hosts Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative Site Visit and Board Meeting
• Initiative to Host Youth Leadership Institute August 11-14
• National Foster Care Conferences on the Horizon
• Nearly One Third of Former Foster Youth Disconnected from Work or School
• Everything You Wanted to Know About Chafee - But Were Afraid to Ask
• Initiative Honors Iowa Banker Helping Foster Youth to Save
• "On Their Own" Book Recognized

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Youth Engagement Makes Nashville a Powerhouse: Teens Advocate for Foster Youths

Each of the 15 sites affiliated with the Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative has its own personality. This is the first in a series of profiles of the sites.

by Martha Shirk

Tennessee Youth Advisory Council

Anyone who wants to understand the power of youth engagement needs look no further than the Tennessee Youth Advisory Council, the youth board that helps decide priorities for the Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative's Nashville site.

Concerned that youth leaving care didn't know where to turn for advice, the Council created an interactive website that provides answers to just about any question they might have (www.tnfosteryouth.org).

Worried that the voices of foster youth weren't being heard in state offices, youth board members have advocated before legislators and state officials for a greater role in deciding their own fates and for receiving tuition waivers at state universities.

Aware that many youth in care had nothing but garbage bags to pack their belongings in when they moved, youth board members organized a suitcase drive that collected 2,500 suitcases and spurred similar drives in several other states.

"This is an amazing group of young people," says Kim Crane, project director at the Vanderbilt Child and Family Center, the Initiative's partner in Davidson County and the Mid-Cumberland region. "It's unbelievable how they've been able to cut through red tape and make things happen. It really speaks to the power of the youth voice."

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"Aging Out" Won Critical Praise and Sparked Community Discussions

Credit: Courtney Bennett

"Aging Out," the PBS documentary about the lives of three foster-care youth and their struggle with independent living, aired nationally on May 26. Critics praised the film, directed by Roger Weisberg and Vanessa Roth. The Los Angeles Times, for instance, said, "Though the film is undeniably moving, Weisberg and Roth allow the stories to unfold uninflected, with David, Daniella and Risa speaking candidly about their experiences. . . . It makes a strong case for reforming the procedures for dealing with aging out, but more importantly, it suggests that the kids are being let down at an even earlier age."

Across the country, local Initiative sites held special screenings for foster youth, community members, and child-welfare advocates. Detroit's screening drew more than 300 people, including about 100 individuals interested in mentoring foster youth. In Nashville, Tipper Gore and Mayor Bill Purcell were among the 200 people who attended the viewing. In Kansas City, Gary Stangler, executive director of the Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative, led a panel discussion with foster-care youth that was broadcast on the local NPR station. In Atlanta, more than 200 people watched a film clip during the Pathways to Adulthood Conference and heard from Daniella Rin Hover and other youth transitioning from foster care.

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Youth Aging Out of Foster Care Are Focus of Capitol Hill Briefing

Ed Schnopp, Jessica Lindsey and
Mary Lee presenting on panel

On May 19, the American Public Health Services Association and the National Governors Association sponsored a Congressional briefing where state leaders and former foster youth told Congressional staffers about the difficulties faced by youth transitioning out of the foster care system. The briefing focused on the new University of Chicago Chapin Hall Center for Children study that found that discontinuing services for the foster youth population often resulted in a harder transition to independent living. As part of the briefing, a panel of former foster youths told their personal accounts of their transitions to self sufficiency.

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Youth's Story on Capitol Hill Spurs New Proposed Legislation

Mary Lee

One of the young adults at the Capitol Hill briefing was Mary Lee, 23, of Clarksville, Tenn., who has been interning for the Initiative. In telling her story to Congressional staffers, Mary played a key role in new proposed legislation aimed at helping foster youth receive college financial aid, even if they are adopted. At the Hill forum, she shared the personal dilemma she had faced a few years ago: If she was adopted, she would lose state and federal financial aid for foster-care youth. In the end, she opted for her cherished dream of adoption - her former case manager adopted her a week before her 18 th birthday. A few weeks after Mary shared her story on Capitol Hill, Senators Norm Coleman, R-Minn., and Mary Landrieu, D-La., introduced a bill in June that would allow youth adopted at age 13 and older not to be penalized on federal financial aid applications. If approved, the bill will amend the definition of "independent student" to include these teens and aid eligibility would be determined on the student's ability to pay.

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More Than 100 Grantee Site Reps Meet in St. Louis to Focus on Youth Permanency

by Martha Shirk

Metropolitan Atlanta Youth
Opportunities Initiative members
participating at convening

During his fourteen years in foster care, Shane Salter had just one dream for himself and his younger brother: "That we would have a family and be loved."

The dream didn't come true for Salter until he married and became a father to seven children, four through adoption. But Salter has spent much of his professional life working to ensure that the dream comes true for 20,000 youth who "age out" of the foster care system without being reunited with their families or adopted.

Salter, the founder and executive director of Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children of D.C., was the keynote speaker at the Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative's Grantee Convening June 28-30 in St. Louis. More than 100 representatives of the Initiative's sites came together to share their successes and challenges in helping youth in foster care equip themselves with the tools they need to become successful adults. The group included staff members, youth leaders, and community partners from fourteen sites.

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Des Moines Hosts Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative Site Visit and Board Meeting

Iowa Youth Participants and
Site Coordinator David Klinkenborg

Des Moines - The Youth Policy Institute of Iowa (YPII) hosted a site visit for the Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative Board of Trustees on June 20. The meeting was held at the United Way of Central Iowa, a community partner of the Institute.

Carol Behrer, Director of YPII, offered a history of transition issues in Des Moines. The tragic death of Reggie Kelsey, a former foster youth who was found dead in the Des Moines River in May 2001, led to the formation of the local department of human services, the transition work group, and several changes to the child welfare system.

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Initiative to Host Youth Leadership Institute August 11-14

Want to learn how to talk to reporters and be an effective advocate for foster youth? The Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative is hosting a Youth Leadership Institute on August 11 to 14 in San Antonio. Each site is sending two young adults for media training, tips on sharing your story, advocacy, and building permanence, among other things.

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Foster-care youths, advocates, practitioners, and parents should take note of several upcoming conferences:

• The International Foster Care Organization's Biennial Conference "To Honor the Child" (from Birth through Independence) is August 7-13 at Monona Terrace Convention Center in Madison, WI.
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• The Destination Future 2005 National Youth Leadership Conference "Creating Possibilities: Now and Tomorrow" will be August 26-28 in Glorieta, NM
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• The Coalition of Community Foundations for Youth and ProNet are holding "Getting Down to Business: Investing in Effective Youth Development" on Sept. 17 at the Grand Hyatt Seattle. Among the topics: improving student achievement, nurturing first-time moms and their babies, helping young adults prepare for work, supporting ex-offenders' re-entry into the community, reconnecting homeless, and runaway youth.
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• The Daniel Memorial Institute conference "Growing Pains" will be September 21-24 in Atlanta.
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• The "It's My Life Conference" will be November 14-15 in Baltimore. The conference features successful models for youth transitioning from foster care and highlights the best practices for youth to be successful after leaving care.
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• The Child Welfare League of America will hold its National Conference February 27 to March 1, 2006, at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, DC.
  For details on the call for papers >>
• The National Foster Parent Association's 36th Annual Education Conference will be May 1-6, 2006 in San Antonio. The conference is designed to provide high quality training for beginning and experienced foster parents, social workers, supervisors, administrators and professionals. They invite proposals for 6-hour pre-conference institutes, three-hour workshops, 1.5-hour workshops. Deadline is Sept. 1, 2005. Please mail to NFPA Annual Education Conference, 7512 Stanich Ave. #6, Gig Harbor, WA 98335 Phone is 1-800-557-5238.

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Nearly One Third of Former Foster Youth Disconnected from Work or School, Says U. Chicago Study

Young people making the transition from foster care to adulthood face formidable challenges and often struggle to stay in school, find stable housing, support themselves financially, and secure medical services, according to a study released in May by the Chapin Hall Center for Children at the University of Chicago. The study, the largest and most comprehensive examination in nearly two decades of young adults leaving foster care, found that the problems were even more pronounced for youth who are forced to leave the child welfare system when they turn 18.
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Everything You Wanted to Know About Chafee - But Were Afraid to Ask

The National Foster Care Coalition, with support from Casey Family Programs, has issued FAQ III with answers to questions about the Chafee Foster Care Independence Program and the Chafee Educational and Training Voucher Program. This is the third in a series.
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Initiative Honors Iowa Banker Helping Foster Youth Learn to Save

J. Michael Earley

The Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative honored J. Michael Earley with the Rama Ramanathan Commitment to Service Award. Earley is president and CEO of Bankers Trust Company of Des Moines. He and Bankers Trust have been key partners in setting up the Opportunity Passport™ in Polk County, Iowa. The result has been successful banking experiences for youth and young adults, many of whom are first-time banking customers. One bank branch, for instance, serves all Opportunity Passport™ holders, and one branch employee has handled the vast majority of accounts personally. The annual Rama Ramanathan award honors outstanding individuals who demonstrate extraordinary leadership and service while improving the lives of young people in foster care. It is named after the former vice president and chief financial and operations officer at the Annie E. Casey Foundation who retired from the foundation in 2001. Former winners include the Hospital Corporation of America (HCA)-2004, Mark Millar of Casey Family Services-2003, and Scott Ackerson of Casey Family Programs-2002.

"On Their Own" Book Recognized

"On Their Own: What Happens to Kids When They Age Out of the Foster Care System" is a winner of the Pro Humanitate Literary Award North America's premier literary award for the field of child welfare. The book was written by Martha Shirk, a former reporter for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, and Gary Stangler, executive director of the Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative.

Bestowed by the Center for Child Welfare Policy of the North American Resource Center for Child Welfare, the award recognizes literary works that "exemplify the intellectual integrity and moral courage required to transcend political and social barriers to promote 'best practice' in the field of child welfare," according to Ronald C. Hughes, director of the center.
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The book also recently was one of three book finalists for the Harry Chapin Media Awards for coverage of hunger and poverty. Those awards are sponsored by the nonprofit World Hunger Year.
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