Passports to Success

Assuring Positive Educational Experiences
For Children in Out-of-home Care


Module 7: Page 6 of 8

What you can do to help youth transitioning to adulthood


Listen below to former Wisconsin foster youth talk about the support they received and the impact it had on them.

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"How is a dipolma going to get me a home?"

Transcript

“What a teacher did was sitting down with me and doing some of the school work with me because I had so many things on my mind, all of the time worrying about if I was going to have a place to live after I turned 18 and aged out of foster care and I wasn’t really thinking about my high school diploma, 'cause I was focusing on finding a home to live in rather than my school work. My thoughts were 'How is a diploma going to get me a home?' ”


“One of the most important strategies for youth in transition is to ensure that ‘way power’ is matched to ‘willpower’ when it comes to a youth’s postsecondary goals. Recent studies have found that up to 80 percent of youth in foster care aspired to go to college, but few had actually taken the coursework needed to enroll. Only 15 percent of youth in out-of-home care – versus 32 percent of the non-foster care population – are likely to be enrolled in college preparatory classes during high school. Other studies have found that disadvantaged youth often lack the role models, peer support and expectations from teachers and other adults that are the motivation for finishing high school and enrolling in postsecondary education and training.”

          

A Road Map for Learning, Casey Family Programs


  • Be encouraging and supportive.
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"My mind was so set on past failures"

Transcript

“I had an IEP teacher that really believed in my ability and made things only a little bit better. I almost felt like I needed some sort of proof. My mind was so set on my past failures. But, with my teacher’s constant encouragement and helping me with my homework and telling me that I can do it, really made things just that little bit easier and they made a big difference how they made me feel like I could actually do it when I in the past felt like I could not.”


  • Have, and communicate, high aspirations for their lives after high school.
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"Unconditionally supportive"

Transcript

“My school social worker really helped me change my outlook on life. She was unconditionally supportive of me, and with her help I was able to see a positive future for myself. Being placed in foster care made me believe I couldn’t go to college because I didn’t think I would be accepted and I had no way to pay for it. I applied for college and was accepted because my school social worker walked me through the application process, helped me apply for financial aid and believed in my ability to be successful.”


  • Encourage the child’s interest and participation in extra-curricular activities, career fairs, pre-college programs and similar opportunities that help the student develop and refine career interests.
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"Soccer and cross country"

Transcript

“I was involved in soccer and cross-country before I entered foster care and I was able to continue being involved even after entering care. Sports had always been a way for me to escape everything that was going on in my life, so being able to hold on to that coping skill gave me some consistency and a much needed outlet for my feelings.”


  • Understand that out-of-home care youth have the same hopes and dreams as their peers and can be very determined about achieving them, but they, just like their peers, will do better with support.
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"I was giving it my all"

Transcript

“I was 18 in the Independent Living Program. I was living with a roommate. I was going to school, I believe full-time. I was working part-time during the school year and full time during the summer. I attended church, and just – 18 years old. I mean, what can you do? But I was urged by the organization to get another job, because where they placed me was River West and that’s not the cheapest environment, especially for an 18-year-old. So I just felt like they were asking too much of me at that time, when I was already, I believed, I felt that I was giving my all in a positive direction. I continued with school. I had to fall back a few times. I stayed the course, I didn’t fall off. But my performance - it wasn’t all A’s, it wasn’t totally up to par.”

 

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