Imperial Valley Regional Occupational Program Accessing Careers through Education

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Imperial Valley Regional Occupational
ProgramAccessing Careers through Education

• Empowering Foster Youth
• November 16, 2006
• Luis Torres, Program Coordinator
• Alma Oliveros, Youth Presenter
• Frank Lugo, Youth Presenter

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What is Project ACE?

• Youth program for current and former
• foster youth between the ages of 14-21.
• Working in a collaborative partnership, Project
  ACE provides customized services that meet the
  needs of foster youth.

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Project ACE Goals

• To improve the academic skills of targeted youth.
• To provide youth with school-to-career and
  work-based learning experiences.
• To provide targeted youth with an opportunity to
  develop their leadership skills and abilities
• Help youth become self-sufficient and productive
  adults.

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Project ACE Collaborative

• Regional Occupational Program
• Children and Family Services (Social Services)
• Business community (worksites and donations)
• Probation Department
• Charlee Group Homes (Local Licensed Group Homes)
• CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates)
• Housing Authority
• School districts school staff
• Behavioral Health Health Department
• Receiving Home
• Family Resource Centers
• Job Corps and California Conservation Corps

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How can collaborations help?

• Referrals and recruitment for foster youth that
  might typically fall through the cracks.
• Link up with housing programs that might enroll
  youth in rent assistance programs.
• Link to counseling and mentoring programs.
• Link to emancipation services, supportive
  services and independent living skills training.
• Donations and financial support for additional
  services and activities.
• Link to programs that offer educational support.

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What is it like to live in the system?
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Average Foster Youth Experience

• Youth experience some type of abuse or neglect
  and will be removed from biological family.
• Will be taken to receiving home facility with
  numerous other children in similiar situation.
• Court will decide if youth should remain in
  foster care for the time being.
• Youth is placed in a group home or foster home
  and separated from their siblings who are placed
  in other placements (sometimes city).

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Average Foster Youth Experience

• Will be moved frequently between group homes and
  foster homes.
• Youth experiences numerous changes in school,
  counselor, teachers, guardians, social worker and
  friends.
• The youth feel frustrated and stressed from all
  the constant changes.
• Will rarely see brother and sister who are in
  different placements and schools.

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Average Academic Experience

• Youth develop negative attitude towards school
  and academics in general.
• Very rarely participate in any tutoring,
  enrichment program or extracurricular activities.
• School credits are often not transferred between
  schools in a timely manner.
• Falls behind on school credits and risks not
  graduating with their classmates.

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Academic Outcomes

• About 75 of foster youth will experience at
  least 2 placements before they emancipate and
  will have to change schools.
• Approximately 50 will not receive a diploma.
• Estimated that only 13 attend college.
• Approximately 2 will earn a degree or transfer
  to a univeristy.
• 1-5 earn a bachelors degree.
• Little Hoover Commission (2003)
• National Center for Youth Law

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What is the big deal with Emancipation?

• In the United States, approximately 20,000 youth
  age out of foster care every year (4,300 in
  CA).
• Little Hoover Commission (2003)

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Emancipation or Aging Out

• At age 18, foster youth will emancipate and are
  expected to go out on their own and maintain
  housing, employment, pay bills, attend school,
  etc.
• Little or no family support when they emancipate
  at age 18 or soon afterwards.
• They rarely have somebody to turn to when they
  have financial problems and might not have
  anywhere to go during holidays.
• Youth have little or no connection/bond with
  siblings or any other relatives when they
  emancipate.
• There is no safety net if they lose everything
  (Apartment, job, school, car, etc.)

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Nationwide Former Foster Youth Statistics(within
4 years of emancipation)
Little Hoover Commission (2003) National Center
for Youth Law
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(No Transcript)
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Employment Training

• Pre-employment training
• (Have business partners assist with workshops
  whenever possible)
• Employment Portfolio Preparation
• Paid Work Experience
• Students can work in summer and/or in-school
  periods.

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Career Exploration

• Career Assessment (Career Locker)
• Students complete questionnaires, save info and
  explore careers in online program.
• Job Shadow Activities- Students choose 2-3
  careers or sites that they would like to job
  shadow.
• Vocational Courses- Classes are taught by
  vocational instructors (during holidays and
  school breaks). Youth receive stipend, school
  credit and training certificate. Make classes as
  fun and interactive as possible.

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Life Skills Training

• Workshops on life skills
• Short basic life skills workshops for all youth.
  
• Housing or after care services
• Transitional housing and supportive services.
• Emancipation Workshops
• Week-long intense life skills classes for older
  foster youth and youth about to age out.
• Financial Literacy Training
• Financial classes combined with Youth Finance
  Network savings program.
• Summer Expo- Day-long conference for life skills
  and career exploration workshops.

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Sample Life Skills Topics

• Looking for housing
• Budgeting
• Financial literacy
• Managing your bills
• Credit reports
• Buying a car
• Paying taxes
• Basic cooking

• Car maintenance
• Housing rights
• Rental agreements
• Healthy diets
• Efficient shopping
• Handling emergencies
• Public transportation

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Fundraising Funds

• Car Purchase Assistance- 25 match funds for
  youth who are saving for a car.
• Winter Wonderland- Youth help organize fun
  holiday event for foster children.
• Day Camp- Summer recreational and enrichment
  program for children in foster care.
• Youth Finance Network- Financial training and
  match program for youth.

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Effective community programs that will benefit
foster youth at any age level.
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What is ILP eligibility?

• Youth who were in court ordered placement (social
  services or probation) after their 16th birthday
  are considered ILP (Independent Living Program)
  eligible.
• Youth who emancipated at the age of 18 or
  afterwards qualify for a few more services.

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Effective Programs

• Independent Living Program
• Has general funds to help support former foster
  youth and might also have scholarships or grants.
• Chafee Grant
• (Awards former foster youth up to 5000 for
  college, vocational or technical training).
• Local One Stop
• All former foster youth are eligible for youth
  programs or trainings and might also get
  supportive services.
• ILP Housing Services
• Social Services gets yearly allocation of funds
  to help former foster youth with various housing
  needs (Requirements vary by county).
• Emancipated Youth Stipend (EYS)
• Social Services receives funds every year to
  help former foster youth with various supportive
  services.
• Guardian Scholars Programs
• College support programs that help former foster
  youth with educational needs and supportive
  services.

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Effective Programs

• ROP Courses, Job Corps or Vocational Trainings
• Offer employability training and work
  experience.
• Foster Youth Services (FYS)
• Offers educational support for foster youth
  (4-21). Can help with health records, credit
  transfer, school enrollment, etc.
• EOPS and Student Support Services (College)
• Educational support services for college
  students.
• College Prep programs (Talent Search, AVID, etc.)
• Prepare students for college.
• Youth Employment Training Programs (One Stop,
  etc.)
• Foster youth are given priority for enrollment.
• Transitional Living Programs
• Housing services for former foster youth.
• Housing Authority Section 8 Programs
• Rent assistance programs.

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Recruitment Recommendations

• Contact agencies that might refer youth and get
  the supervisors to buy into program (ILP,
  receiving home, Social Services, Probation,
  Juvenile Hall, group home parents, CASA,
  Behavioral Health, etc.)
• Try to recruit youth with leadership abilities
  (There is usually ones that other look up to at
  group home, ILP meetings, receiving home, etc.)
• Offer transportation whenever possible
• Initial group of foster youth might be small but
  good program with quick payoffs will get good
  word of mouth.
• It might take a while to get youth to buy into
  the program (Months to years)
• See Aging Out documentary about foster youth.

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Recommendations

• Quick enrollment into services, training or
  program.
• Work with youth as early (age) as possible.
• Offer incentives (stipends, work, computers,
  etc.).
• Give voice to students (Youth input, surveys,
  etc.).
• Do not push college to everybody.
• Never lose contact with youth.
• Combine some fun interactive activities with
  learning activities.
• Keep positive mindset and do not lose faith.
• Confidentiality is very, very, very important.
• Try to limit changing case managers/staff on
  youth.
• Get support of local media.

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Legislative Help

• Assembly Bill 490
• Amended on April 10, 2003

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Assembly Bill 490

• If the placement changes, child has right to
  remain in same school if possible.
• Whenever youth changes school, the new school
  must enroll them within 2 days.
• Allows youth to be enrolled even if
  typically-required records are not available
• A mainstream public school must be considered as
  the first placement option.

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Assembly Bill 490

• Schools must give full or partial credit
  schoolwork that is completed elsewhere.
• Cannot penalize youth for absences due to
  placement changes or court appearances.
• Local Educational Agencies must designate a local
  Educational Liaison.
• Authorize release of educational records to their
  social workers.

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Accessing Careers through Education2005 CCS
Partnership Award Recipient
Luis Torres, Coordinator PHONE (760)
337-5079 FAX [phone] ltorres_at_ivnet.org www
.ivrop.org/ace
IMPERIAL COUNTY INDEPENDENT LIVING PROGRAM