Local non-profit Fostering Youth Independence (FYI) is seeking volunteer “allies” to work one-on-one with Santa Clarita youth who are aging out of the L.A. County foster care system.
Volunteer allies have the unique opportunity to directly impact the lives of Santa Clarita’s foster youth, from ages 16 to 25, by helping them obtain much-needed resources and offering encouragement as they work to complete a post-secondary education and prepare to become successful, independent adults, officials say.
“Now, more than ever with the COVID-19 shutdown still continuing, local foster youth need support, not only as they return to school, but with negotiating life’s day-to-day challenges,” said Carolyn Olsen, FYI’s Executive Director and Co-Founder, in a statement Friday. “These young adults benefit so much from having a caring Ally to provide guidance and support, and our allies have told us they benefit from the relationship just as well.”
See Related: Santa Clarita Non-Profit Fostering Youth Independence Reaches Year-End Fundraising Goal
Local Santa Clarita resident Wayne Karatsu has been an ally with FYI for eight months, and has found that being a positive influence has been “just as rewarding in return.”
“I am so grateful to FYI for giving me this opportunity and for the chance to get to know this young man,” Karatsu said. “I am really looking forward to growing our relationship and seeing him become a successful adult.”
FYI is a Santa Clarita-based nonprofit organization that supports local foster youth who have aged out of the L.A. County foster care system without being adopted or reunified with their birth parents.
FYI addresses the serious challenges faced by these youth including not finishing high school or pursuing higher education, homelessness, and incarceration. The non-profit is currently serving 49 foster youth, the majority of whom are attending College of the Canyons.
A training session for interested volunteers is scheduled to be held via Zoom on Wednesday, March 10, from 5:30 to 7:30 pm. To learn more or to register for the training, email Terri at tgaudioso@fyifosteryouth.org, or visit FYI’s website here.
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