KidsPeace announced that it received a $2,000 grant to help fund a symposium on independent living for Pennsylvania youth who “age out” of the foster care system.
The grant announced by KidsPeace is from the Berwick Health and Wellness Fund of the Community Giving Foundation: Berwick.
The one-day event, organized by KidsPeace’s Foster Care and Community Programs office in Bloomsburg, builds on KidsPeace’s successful independent living (IL) programming for adolescent foster youth. The programming aims to address challenges that former foster youth face when transitioning to IL – including poverty, homelessness, unemployment, substance abuse and incarceration.
The symposium’s purpose is to give these young people the opportunity to hear from former foster children who are currently living independently, on topics ranging from finances, job searches, healthy eating, navigating transportation and health care, to social skills activities and mental wellness. They will also learn about local organizations that can be resources for them in their IL journey.
The one-day session is intended to build the young people’s confidence as they prepare to discharge from foster care, through inspirational connections with those who have transitioned successfully to independent living.
Area agencies interested in providing information on these topics during the symposium should contact KidsPeace’s Kelly Little at Kelly.Little@kidspeace.org.
