Foster Youth Help in California
This is THE link for:
- Need to get a California Driver’s license?
- Want to work?
- Have complaints?
- Want to go to college?
FREE Senior Portraits for Bay Area Foster Youth.
FREE Senior Portraits to the first 100 seniors who sign up! You’ll get three poses and a complete package valued at over $300!
Where Are You Now?
Age-appropriate online, confidential, life skills assessments for youth and care-givers. Instant feed back, goal-setting, and lesson plans. Return to the site to monitor your progress.
Foster youth are particularly at risk for losing connections to family and community. In this video, and the accompanying Viewer’s Guide, 23 people share their views on why race and ethnicity matter for youth.
Networking with Foster Youth and Alumni
Some foster youth and former foster youth are highly motivated to help siblings in care or other foster youth. And some former foster youth just want to move on from foster care. Whether you find yourself in the first group or in the second group, talking with people who are likely to share your experiences, frustrations, challenges, and goals is valuable and helpful. They will also be able to connect you to the services, resources, and networks that can help you to achieve your goals. You CAN do it alone, but you don’t HAVE to!
Heather Zenone, the Indian Child Welfare Director at Indian Dispute Resolution Services/Cal-ICWA was also a foster youth. Current and former Indian foster youth are strongly encouraged to contact Heather at heather@idrsinc.org. Or catch her on facebook: Heather Zenone or California Indian Child Welfare Association.
California Youth Connection: Guided, focused and driven by current and former foster youth with the assistance of other committed community members. CYC promotes the participation of foster youth in policy development and legislative change to improve the foster care system, and strives to improve social work practice and child welfare policy. CYC Chapters in counties throughout the state identify local issues and use grassroots and community organizing to create change.
Foster Club: The National Network for young people in foster care, see their California page. Check out From Foster to Famous, particularly the story of Ben Nighthorse Campbell (American Indian CO Senator who grew up in CA foster care):
Higher Education
There is good news for funding your education! As long as you let your financial aid office know that you were a “ward of the court” or “aged out of foster care” they will usually automatically give you the financial aid you require.
Here’s HOW:
This is a GREAT Guide to financial aid for foster youth. It has everything you need.
Want to go to college but not sure about the steps? Use the California College Pathways Foster Youth Educational Planning Guide to start planning for college NOW (6th grade through 12th, what you need to do).
Making College A Reality for Foster Youth: profiles, steps, ideas, links to funding and resources.
These people can help you!
This is a List of Foster Youth Success Liaisons by school, with their names, email, and phone numbers. If you have any questions; need help filling out applications or forms; can’t locate documents that are required (birth certificate, immunizations, proof of foster care) these people can help you.
List of Foster Youth Support Contacts at Cal State Universities.
Community College
Youth Empowerment Strategies for Success
YESS–AmeriCorps recruits community college students to provide mentoring and tutoring services to current and transitioning foster youth ages 16–21. Coordinate job and education fairs to assist foster youth in developing necessary skills for successful professional growth and career advancement. YESS–AmeriCorps builds on county Foster & Kinship Care Education (FKCE) and Independent Living program partnerships to expand the availability of resources and services to foster youth.
Money
Most Important: You must complete a Free Application for Federal Financial Aid(FAFSA). If you need help completing this form, ask a teacher, counselor, principal, pastor/rabbi or other education professional to help you. To get all the aid to which you are entitled, complete the FAFSA before March 2 each year you will be in school. The application has questions that ask if you were a “ward of the court”, “emancipated”, or if you participated in transitional living program. Make sure you check these boxes as they relate to your experience.
- Checking these boxes tells your school that you are eligible for all financial aid and scholarships for former foster youth.
- Checking these boxes means you don’t have to provide financial information for your parents.
Chafee Grants, Free Money for Foster Youth for college or career training. Provides up to $5000/year to cover tuition, room and board, or other education-related costs. They might be called “Chafee Grants” or “ETV’s” (Education and Training Vouchers). If you completed the FAFSA correctly and completed the Chafee Application you should be awarded these funds. Check your Student Financial Aid Award Letter (from your school) to make sure. If you don’t see it listed, contact a counselor at your school’s Financial Aid Office.
Association on American Indian Affairs (Scholarship & Emergency Financial Aid). One application gets you considered for all the available scholarships. Deadline: mid-June for Fall semester/quarter. Requires CDIB of 1/4 or more.
The Morris K. Udall Foundation (Congressional Internship, Scholarship, and Dissertation Award)
Foster A Dream Academic Scholarships. This scholarship awards $1,500 to $9,000 to selected foster youth pursuing their higher education dreams. This scholarship is administered through the college or university; so be sure to fill out that FAFAS application! If you have been awarded this scholarship, it will be listed on your Student Financial Aid Award Letter. You can also ask the Financial Aid counselor at your college or university if you have been considered for this scholarship.
The Orphan Foundation of America (OFA) Scholarships are available to eligible former foster youth who are pursuing postsecondary education. Unlike some of the other scholarships and grants listed on this page where you just have to check the right boxes on the FAFSA application to be considered, you HAVE to fill out a separate application for this scholarship. To qualify, applicants must meet the following criteria:
- Have been in foster care for one consecutive year at the time of their 18th birthday or high school graduation OR have been adopted or taken into legal guardianship out of foster care after their 16th birthday OR have lost both parents to death before age 18 and not been subsequently adopted
- Be accepted into or enrolled in an accredited postsecondary program (university, college, community college, or vocational/technical institute)
- Be under age 25 at application deadline (usually March 31 of the application year).
Academic & Social Support
Some California colleges and Universities have programs specifically designed to support foster youth. You will likely have to fill out an application and may have to write an essay to participate in these programs. It’s worth the effort! The programs are campus-based (each school runs it’s own program) and provide a range of services from housing (year-around so you don’ t have to worry where you will live when school is not in session), financial aid, academic support (help choosing classes, tutoring, counseling, mentoring), and community (including holiday events so you won’t be alone over holidays).
If you don’t see a program at the school of your choice, contact the Financial Aid office, the Educational Opportunity Program, or the Diversity Program at your school. Check out the California College Pathways Program Search to locate programs by zip code or region. If you find yourself running into a lot of dead-ends, EMAIL ME! I’ll find someone at your school who can help you.
Renaissance Scholars Programs
UC Berkeley Cal Independent Scholars Network
GRADUATE SCHOOL
Funding and academic preparation for former foster youth in -or headed to- graduate school is coming soon!
What aid is there for someone who want to pursue a Graduate degree in engineering.
Edward,
Sorry it took so long to get back to you.
For certain, if you have not already, check out American Indian Science and Engineering Society.
You’ll want to look for Indian-focused opportunities, minority or under-represented student opportunities, and for engineering-specific opportunities. Also, contact the EOP or Diversity Office at each of the schools you are interested in attending. Look to see if there’s an American Indian Graduate Program, and AISES program, or an Minority Engineering Program on your preferred campuses.
There are two types of Graduate Funding.
1. Internal Funding (funding that comes either from or through the University to which you are applying)
Internal funding is only offered to student who are admitted to and accept admission to that Institution.
The KEY to graduate school is picking the school with the right fit for your interests. The key to funding is to complete your FAFSA and the University’s Application for Financial Aid. Doing these two steps at most school will ensure that you are considered for all of the University’s fellowship funding.
2. External Funding (funding that comes from public, non-profit, or private organizations)
External Funding is independent of the School and, therefore, can follow you to the school of your choice to which you are also admitted.
A Huge List of External graduate minority resources funding can be found here: http://grad.berkeley.edu/financial/fellowships_resources.shtml