Show your support for youth aging out of foster care

From the Fostering Change tool kit:

Fostering Change is an initiative to involve youth, their allies, supportive organizations, and engaged citizens across Metro Vancouver in conversation and action.

The goal: to ensure youth in government care have access to resources, opportunities, and consistent caring relationships they need to thrive in adulthood.

The problem: in BC, youth in foster care must leave care when they turn 19. Once they are discharged, they no longer have access to housing, healthcare, regular financial assistance, or a social worker to call in emergencies. The most dramatic result: 40% of homeless youth have spent time in foster care. Without visibility, awareness and engagement, the chance this complex issue will get the attention it deserves is low to zero.

The dialogue: We need to start a broader public conversation about better models of support – policy and practice – for youth aging out of care. We need to make communities aware of the issues. We want doorways opened, not closed, to support youth to pursue housing, employment, education, health, financial capability, social networks and permanent relationships.

Our hope: We can empower communities to show up for all youth as they move into adulthood.

What are the goals of our work?

The Vancouver Foundation is committed to surfacing solutions that build on community knowledge and best practices, improve policy and promote youth empowerment. Fostering Change is a platform to hold the ideas and support action by a broad range of organizations and individuals. Some goals, broadly expressed, include:

Policy/ Programs

Improved policies and programs that support youth beyond their 19th birthdays through sensitive times of transition. These could be a range of supports similar to those provided by BC parents for all youth until they are in a stable situation with skills to move forward.

Networks/ Communities of Support

Supporting youth earlier in their teens with skills development, but also with additional networks of support – in schools, in community centres, through kinship agreements where possible, through government and not for profit programs – rather than with single caseworkers or foster homes that can change from year to year.

Meaningful Participation

Opportunities for meaningful participation and contribution include having opportunities for valued responsibilities, for making decisions, for giving voice and being heard, and for contributing one’s talents to the community. Our hope is that we can spark ongoing conversations, bringing more citizens into this conversation, and highlight not only the challenges but also place-based solutions.