The Voice: Foster Youth Perspective on Educational Barriers

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The Voice Foster Youth Perspective on
Educational Barriers Success

• Georgia EmpowerMEnt
• Nothing about us, without us

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What is Georgia EmpowerMEnt?

• EmpowerMEnt was founded by and created for those
  of us who are in the process of transitioning
  from foster care. It is a youth-led,
  youth-focused advocacy movement (with strong
  adult support and community partnership) tailored
  towards training and empowering our brothers and
  sisters in foster care to influence and change
  the way policy is written and administered
  through our eyes, and informed through our
  experiences. EmpowerMEnts motto is, nothing
  about us without us. EmpowerMEnt serves as the
  Youth Engagement Strategy within the Georgia
  Youth Opportunities Initiative.

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History

• The origins of the Initiative began in 2002, when
  a national foundation, the Jim Casey Youth
  Opportunities Initiative (Jim Casey) invited
  leaders in Georgia to partner in a metro
  Atlanta-focused effort to test a theory of change
  that would result in better outcomes for foster
  youth in the metro Atlanta area. This effort
  became to be known as the Metro-Atlanta Youth
  Opportunities Initiative (MAYOI). Between 2006
  and 2007 MAYOI released a request for vision
  proposal to identify a community partner with
  shared values and philosophy of youth-adult
  partnership. The Multi-Agency Alliance for
  Children (MAAC) was chosen by MAYOI and Georgia
  EmpowerMEnt was born.

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Learning Objectives

• Identify educational barriers that students in
  foster care face
• Authentic engagement from the perspective of
  youth with foster care experience
• Emphasize support resources for the educational
  needs of youth in foster care

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Educational barriers foster youth encounter

• Multiple placements moves often can result in
  change of school setting
• Higher education is expensive. Youth in care lack
  family support or adults who can help pay for
  their tuition costs and fees
• Federal financial assistance may not cover all
  costs associated with higher education, such as
  housing, transportation, etc.
• Georgias foster care youth lack supportive
  services or on-campus programs once they are
  enrolled at a college or university

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Foster Youth Educational Statistics

• Fewer than 20 of eligible youth in care go on to
  higher education compared to 60 of youth in the
  general population very few will obtain a
  bachelors degree
• In 2010, 43,000 Georgia teens ages 16-19 were not
  enrolled in school and were not working
• In 2010, 208,000 young adults ages 18-24 were not
  enrolled in school, were not working, and had no
  degree beyond high school
• In 2013, 300 children exited foster care to
  emancipation in Georgia 198 students graduated
  from high school and 34 from a college or
  university
• Fall 2013 school year, 200 students in college
  received Education Training Voucher support from
  DFCS

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Octavias Point Is?

• Octavia Fugerson
• 22 years old
• Currently pursing Masters of Education in Gifted
  Creative Education at UGA
• I did other peoples homework, but did not do my
  own homework.

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Terrys Point Is?

• Terry Carter
• 22 years of age
• Currently studying International Business and
  Finance at Georgia Gwinnett College

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Yessenias Point Is?

• Yessenia Lopez
• 19 years old
• Currently working on her GED
• My caseworkers did not listen to me about where
  I wanted to be placed at was important to me.

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Xaviers Point Is?

• Xavier Southwood
• 18 years of age
• Currently working on GED and Job Corps
• I did the best in school when I was in foster
  care because people cared about what I did and if
  I was successful.

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• QUESTIONS?

There is no such thing as a stupid
question, except for the ones not asked.
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Educational Resources Supports

• House Bill 272
• Independent Living Program
• Educational Programming, Assessment and
  Consultation (E.P.A.C.)
• Parents Educating Parents Professionals (PEPP)
• Job Corps

• Georgia Youth Opportunities Initiative
• Individualized Development Accounts (IDA)
• Orange Duffel Bag Initiative
• Nsoro foundation
• Foster Care to Success formerly the Orphan
  Foundation

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Recommendations

• Listen to the youth
• Mentor a current and/or former foster youth
• Start a Scholarship specifically for foster care
  youth
• Launch college support programs specifically for
  foster care youth
• Advocate for foster care legislation, such as the
  lack of implementation of House Bill 272
  (O.C.G.A. 20-3-660)
• Create opportunities for foster youth
• Youth Advisory Board
• Job shadowing/career exploration

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Contact Information
Shaquita Ogletree sogletree_at_maac4kids.org (404)
880-9323 Multi-Agency Alliance for Children
(MAAC) Georgia EmpowerMEnt 100 Edgewood
Ave. Suite 810 Atlanta, GA 30303 Check out our
website www.georgiaempowerment.org