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Passion: The Heart of a True Gentleman

FC2S Staff | April 8th, 2015

Three years ago Tremale Berger stood confidently in front of a crowd. He looked out at the gathering of around 40 young men, certain his eloquently prepared speech would compel the youth to action.

A sea of wide, expecting eyes rested on Tremale, and as he scanned the room and looked into the eyes of each and every young man there, suddenly his confidence shifted. Tremale could see the needs and desires anxiously pleading through each youth’s gaze, and in that moment, he knew that whatever he said next would leave a lasting impact on the young men.

“I told them that we’re here to help you do what you want,” Tremale said. “The foundation of our program is us helping the young men discover and do what they want, not us telling them what they should want and do. We focus on what their interests are.”

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April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month

FC2S Staff | April 7th, 2015

Our work at Foster Care to Success is so intrinsically tied this issue, as some people fail to realize: children in the foster care system are not bad kids, rather they’ve had bad things happen to them.

Every year, about 3 million cases of child abuse are reported in the United States, most of which are placed in the foster care system. While the statistics are grave, our society continually strives to build a safer and more equitable home for communities, families and most importantly children.

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Aim Higher Alum Creates Change at Her University

FC2S Staff | March 31st, 2015

Bette Maisel is a 2014 Aim Higher Fellow attending Notre Dame de Namur University. As a senior at NDNU, Maisel is leveraging her Aim Higher experience to design a program to support other foster youth attending her university.

“The program will create healthier experiences for students transitioning from high school to college. We want to help find for these students the essentials they need for living on campus but most importantly offer them support from people who can understand and point them in the right direction,” said Taylor Dewees, a former foster youth and Maisel’s partner in developing this foster youth program.

Maisel attended Aim Higher’s two-week intensive program in Washington D.C. last summer and developed communication skills to publicly speak to the foster care community; she now hopes to give back to foster youth similar to her in order to support their postsecondary needs.

“I hope that the foster youth at NDNU will feel supported. I hope that it will lay the foundation for their future careers and they’ll have year-round housing, and consider this place a home,” said Maisel.

Foster Care to Success encourages our students and Aim Higher Fellows to not only dream big, but to execute the visions they believe will transform challenges into solutions. Maisel currently has 11 students in the foster program at NDNU, she and her team hope to reach other students in similar situations in order to scale the impact they imagine.

Best wishes Bette! Keep up the amazing work, and always Aim Higher!

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6 Ways to Search for a Summer Internship

FC2S Staff | March 31st, 2015

The end of spring break means summer is right around the corner! As you make plans for how and where to spend those upcoming summer months, why not consider putting yourself one step ahead of the competition and apply for an internship?

Interning boosts your resume and makes you stand out from the crowd because employers look for extracurricular activities on top of your degree. Working at an internship will also help you develop the skills employers look for, including communication, teamwork, and problem-solving, making you a strong candidate for today’s competitive job market.

Don’t know where to begin your internship search? Check out the following tips on ways to find a summer internship:

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Is Temping Right For You?

FC2S Staff | March 26th, 2015

Is graduation looming? Are you unsure of where you want to work or what you want to do? What if you could work on short term assignments to better understand what you like or don’t like?

You can.

It’s called temping.

So, what is temping?

                          photo by: Fotolia

Temping is exactly how it sounds: temporarily working in a position for a finite period of time. Usually, businesses will hire temps to fill in for employees on leave or if the position is in transition.

When you work as a temp, you work for the agency and they call you in when there is a need at an appropriate organization.  There are many kinds of staffing agencies; some are general, some specialize in certain jobs, like accounting, management or computer technology.  Expect to be interviewed the same as for any job, and you may have to take tests to measure your skills.

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“Lost Childhoods,” First-of-its-Kind and Largest Collection of Foster Youth Memorabilia

FC2S Staff | March 19th, 2015

Life is a series of moments and memories, sometimes captured in photos or memorabilia that tell stories of tragedy and triumph. Regardless of the theme, stories can help us heal, inspire us to grow, and define our purpose.

Foster youth have a myriad of stories that shed light and awareness on our current system; for the first time these stories are being highlighted in an art exhibit to display a spectrum from discovering love in an intentional, diverse and compassionate family to enduring challenges that can move us to tears.

Lost Childhoods is an art exhibit displaying 50 artifacts, art and videos from former foster youth; currently it is on display in Oakland, California. It is the largest collection of foster youth memorabilia and first exhibition of its kind; “a testament to the resilience of foster youth and how far they’ve come,” says Jeanie Yoon, co-director of the Foster Youth Museum who majored in sociology at UC Berkeley.

The exhibit is presented  in partnership with California Youth Connection and the Y.O.U.T.H. Training Project, is open to the public every Saturday in March from 1 to 5 p.m. at Warehouse 416 in Oakland’s Uptown district.

Lost Childhoods is a unique way to tell stories that will bridge the gap between the foster care system and society.  It can play a significant part in resolving the challenges that are represented in the lost teddy bear, underpants from juvenile hall, and worn out sneakers displayed in the exhibit. At the very least, the visual representations will bring tangible awareness to a pressing issue: our youth need more.

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New Documentary Showcases World of Foster Care Through Animation, Community Storytelling

FC2S Staff | March 14th, 2015

Current and former foster youth are joining their voices to reframe the discussion about foster care—one YouTube video at a time.

Using video, animation, storytelling and social media, the Foster Care Film and Community Engagement Project offers the foster care community various ways to share experiences and enlighten others about the world of foster care.

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Former Foster Youth Gives Back Through Heart 2 Heart Charity

FC2S Staff | March 13th, 2015

Albert Einstein once said, “A life lived for others, is the only life worth living.” Jodie Williams is a great example of this.

Williams is the founder of Heart 2 Heart, a small nonprofit of volunteers in Solano County, CA dedicated to helping local foster youth.

According to an article on dailyrepublic.com, Heart 2 Heart’s “goal is to break the cycle that sees many foster children ending up homeless within two years of getting out of the foster care system.”

At any given time, the organization works with 200 foster youth, the article explains, “providing them with the necessities of life as well as referrals to programs that can also help them.” Recently, Heart 2 Heart handed out bags to students at Solano Community College, assisting them with a range of goods from household items to school supplies.

This organization is an excellent example of how a community can work together and significantly impact a foster youth aging out of the system—a type of support, unfortunately, one former foster youth did not receive.

“I owe them these things, things that I did not have,” the article quotes Williams explaining her past, which included living out of a car. After moving to Solano County and discovering the lack of programs helping foster youth exiting the system, Williams hopped on Facebook, rallied her friends around the cause and Heart 2 Heart was born.

Read the full story about Williams and Heart 2 Heart here and discover how you can support this organization at www.facebook.com/Heart2HeartSolanoCounty.

FC2S thanks Jodie Williams and all the Heart 2 Heart volunteers for their service and commitment to a “life lived” for foster youth!

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[Guest blog] The Importance and Impact of Protecting Foster Youth’s Credit

FC2S Staff | March 10th, 2015

Children and youth in the foster care system are at high risk for financial fraud because of their frequent moves and the fact that many – sometimes unscrupulous – people may have access to their personal information. A recent Los Angeles County study found that eight percent of 16- and 17-year-olds in the foster care system had fraudulent items on their credit reports, and the report further stated that the number would be much higher had those younger and older than 16-17 been surveyed.

The story of Katrina Haywood is a good example of what can go wrong very quickly when she entered into a foster care home. Her biological mother had taken out a series of loans attributed to her name and when she turned 18, her credit score was ruined and had a deficit of $6,000.

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National Social Work Month

FC2S Staff | March 6th, 2015

Did you know? March is National Social Work Month!

In 1963, the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) first introduced this month to raise awareness of both the need and the incredible impact social workers make in our society. The campaign garnered buzz and enough media attention that politicians began to advocate for National Social Work Month to be officially recognized. By 1984, the White House recognized March as National Social Work Month.

This year NASW celebrates its 60th anniversary and this month we recognize the 655,000 social workers that serve 10 million clients a day.

“Throughout Social Work Month and our 60th Anniversary year, NASW will host events and provide resources that honor the many contributions of these unsung heroes,” said NASW CEO Angelo McClain, PhD, LICSW.

Find a list of activities NASW’s chapters will be hosting throughout this month and duration of this year here.

FC2S is grateful for all the social workers, mentors and coaches that contribute to building a better future for foster youth, it is because of people like you that we are able to advocate for change that allows foster youth to remain funded and supported throughout their postsecondary education.

We believe every child deserves an education and training beyond high school, for this will we help them build a platform to sustain them for the rest of their lives.

So to all the social workers that have committed to being the change we all wish to see in our world, we thank you.

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