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Foster Youth in Action is hosting ongoing forums for current and former foster youth: 

Weekly: FOSTER POWER FORUMS


Weekly on Tuesdays @ 1:00 PST! 

This is a virtual space held weekly on Tuesdays for local and national foster youth-led organizations to 1) lift up immediate needs from members in our community, 2) share local resources and strategies across groups, and 3) coordinate ongoing national efforts to inform short- and long- term advocacy strategies to mobilize resources directly in the hands of young people.

Check out Foster Youth in Action's Facebook page for weekly registration links. 
 


Weeklyon Sundays @ 2:00 PST! 
This is a virtual space for connection, restoration, and collective support for anyone who is currently or has ever been in foster care. We will kick off the hour each week with a guided practice led by a community practitioner or volunteer. We will then move into a space for sharing and collective support. Practices will vary but may include Somatic breathing, Restorative Yoga, Meditation, Creative Arts and more.
1 Comments
Mar 24, 2020 By APetite1

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Abiyag Rahman's picture

Abiyag Rahman said:

Each year, more than 25,000 children age out of foster care when they turn 18. Children aging out of foster care enter adulthood with few of the safety nets typical teenagers may take for granted. They don't have anyone to help them with anything, No money, food or cars . As a result of these significant disadvantages, youth who age out of foster care often succumb to poor life outcomes. They are significantly more likely to become homeless, unemployed, or incarcerated than the general population. Frighteningly, most human trafficking victims were formerly in foster care, according to multiple government estimates. Over 80% of homeless people were formerly youths in foster care. At www.TechieYouth.org, they are trying to help the foster kids by educating them and helping them find jobs. They teach them many skills like Computer skills, resume building, programming and many other courses. Most current policies deliver assistance to transition-age youth by providing non-cash benefits like housing assistance and healthcare, or to a caretaker such as payments to an institutional care provider. A new strategy would be to provide each young person aging out of foster care with a Fostering Independence Account (FIA). A FIA is essentially a cash account funded by the government for a period long enough to allow these young men and women to find their footing. What Techie Youth is doing to help these foster kids are a very good way to help them be independent . Teaching them important skills to survive in this world and thrive. Many organizations are also trying to help those kids. However, I think it's better to provide the age-out foster kids with direct cash rather than non-cash assistance. A growing body of evidence indicates that direct cash assistance, without strings, is better at improving long-term outcomes for the poor and disadvantaged than traditional welfare programs.