PREPARING FOSTER YOUTH FOR ADULTING
Show notes and recordings of AOI’s podcasts from 2024 are below (episodes 089-TBD).
You can also find the show on most podcast distributors, including Podbean, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Pandora, Stitcher, TuneIn, Listen Notes, Podbay, Blubrry, Vurbl, and iHeartRadio.Â
11/14/24
In this episode, Lynn Tonini interviews Liberty Thompson, Executive Director of JEM Friends, Inc. in Boise, Idaho. Liberty shared how her interest in the challenges that youth aging out of care face developed from a friendship with a girl in foster care growing up. She described the four pillars of support that they provide youth: housing, community, life skills classes, and independent living planning. She also covers the four phases of their program, which takes youth from finishing education to housing readiness.
Resources mentioned during podcast:
JEM Friends, Inc.
Inspire Life Skills
Inspire Idaho
MikeRoweWorks Foundation
Casey Family Foundation
JEM Friends, Inc.
Inspire Life Skills
Inspire Idaho
MikeRoweWorks Foundation
Casey Family Foundation
10/30/24
In this episode, Lynn Tonini interviews Tyila Cooks, Executive Director of Lifebridge Child Advocacy in Midland, Georgia. Tyila shared about her own background, which included adopting foster children to be part of her own family. Started as a ministry, Lifebridge Child Advocacy officially transitioned to a nonprofit in 2021. They serve at-risk youth in the Columbus, GA area, providing a place for them to come together, get support, and life skills training. They also provide support to foster parents and families in crisis.
Resources mentioned during podcast:
Lifebridge Child Advocacy
Adverse Childhood Experiences
Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA)
New Birth Outreach Church
Covenant Care Services
Project Management Institute
Howard Gardner Theory of Multiple Intelligences
Kirkpatrick Evaluation Model
Daniel Kids Conferences
Lifebridge Child Advocacy
Adverse Childhood Experiences
Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA)
New Birth Outreach Church
Covenant Care Services
Project Management Institute
Howard Gardner Theory of Multiple Intelligences
Kirkpatrick Evaluation Model
Daniel Kids Conferences
10/06/24
In this episode, Lynn Tonini interviews Amy Navarro, Director of the Launch Success Program with Treehouse in Seattle. Amy explained her introduction to the challenges of foster care while serving with Americorp and the journey she took to get to her work with Treehouse. Amy’s program, Launch Success, takes a three pronged approach to support youth: education & career planning, systems navigation, and coaching. Their goal is to walk alongside youth to serve as the bridge from high school and independence.
Resources mentioned during podcast:
Treehouse
TRIO Program
LifeSet
Passport to Careers
Education & Training Vouchers
iFoster
Americorps
Mockingbird Society
Treehouse
TRIO Program
LifeSet
Passport to Careers
Education & Training Vouchers
iFoster
Americorps
Mockingbird Society
08/26/24
In this episode, Lynn Tonini interviews Hannah Hodgson Katzman, Associate Director of Family Harvest Farm in Martinez, California. Hannah described the mission of her organization, the John Muir Land Trust, which is to protect open spaces. Hannah’s program – Family Harvest Farm – is under the John Muir Land Trust umbrella. They utilize 3.5 acres of urban open space for a program that hires youth aged out of foster care ages 18-24 on a part-time basis, teaches them about farming while mentoring them over a season, and donates and/or sells the produce to the local community.
07/22/24
In this episode, Lynn Tonini interviews Sherrie Weis, Case Manager at YouthCare in Seattle, Washington. Sherrie described her organization’s mission to help homeless youth, many of whom have a connection with or have aged out of foster care. Sherrie’s program is a shelter that supports homeless youth between the ages of 12 and 17, but they also have a program for youth over the age of 18. YouthCare strives to build community for the youth; teach life skills while they have them in their programs; help youth identify education, employment, and housing goals; and provide medical support, as needed.
Resources mentioned during podcast:
YouthCare
YouthCare
06/17/24
In this episode, Lynn Tonini interviews Tige Charity, CEO of Kids in the Spotlight in Burbank, California. Tige shares about the unique employment support services that Kids in the Spotlight provides youth aging out of foster care, which focuses on skills in the arts and entertainment. We talk about the Script-to-Screen program that culminates in film productions that compete with one another for awards through their Kids Film Awards. Supported by Ty Burrell of Modern Family fame, this program works tirelessly to help their youth gain employment in the entertainment industry.
Resources mentioned during podcast:
Kids in the Spotlight
Indie-Flex
Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot
Kids in the Spotlight
Indie-Flex
Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot
05/06/24
In this episode, Lynn Tonini interviews Maria Paparella, Founder and Executive Director of Chair-ity in Akron, Ohio. Maria explained the origins and growth of her organization, which provides furniture to youth aging out of foster care and is celebrating its 10 year anniversary this year. We talk about the importance of enabling youth to have choices in creating their environment, how critical community is to supporting these youth, and we wrap up discussing opportunities that the foster care system can take to improve the support for youth as they transition to adulthood.
04/21/24
In this episode, Lynn Tonini interviews Mark Mecum, CEO of Ohio Children’s Alliance in Columbus, Ohio. Mark explains the work that his organization does for youth aging out of foster care through the Ohio Bridges Program, the state’s extended foster care program. We talk about the importance of prevention so that youth don’t have to go into foster care in the first place, and we wrap up discussing opportunities to improve outcomes for aged-out youth.
04/16/24
In this episode, Lynn Tonini interviews Lee Marshall, CEO and Founder of Kids to Love in Madison, Alabama. Lee describes the path she took to leading Kids to Love and the programs and services that Kids to Love offers youth in foster care, as well as those aging out. She explained KTech, which is a 16-week program that teaches skills to help aged-out youth become highly employable. Finally, Lee shares her vision of helping foster youth get on their career path while still in foster care.
Resources mentioned during podcast:
Kids to Love
Kids to Love
03/12/24
In this episode, Lynn Tonini interviews Bruce Wingate, President of Foster Care Furniture in Boise, Idaho. Bruce describes how his organization provides training in woodworking and carpentry for youth who have aged out of foster care. Their nonprofit offers 13 weeks of training in which the youth build products to specifications for a paying client. Then, they assists the youth in finding employment in the trades. They are also planning a second phase, which will include enabling youth to own their own tiny homes.
Resources mentioned during podcast:
Foster Care Furniture
Protect Idaho Kids
College of Western Idaho
Woodcraft
Maker Shop
Idaho Workforce Development Council
CASA/GAL
Casey Family Programs
Foster Care Furniture
Protect Idaho Kids
College of Western Idaho
Woodcraft
Maker Shop
Idaho Workforce Development Council
CASA/GAL
Casey Family Programs
03/05/24
In this episode, Lynn Tonini facilitates a conversation between two individuals connected with organizations that help youth aging out of foster care find and retain employment: Hope Broomham with Jim Riley Outreach (Plano, TX) and Andraya Slyter with The RightWay Foundation (Los Angeles, CA). During this conversation, we talked about different strategies to help foster youth find and keep employment to help them toward self-sufficiency. We also discussed generational differences that may be influencing employment expectations.
01/19/24
In this episode, Lynn Tonini interviews Brian Meza, Executive Director of Petra Cares, a charitable arm of Petra Auto Products based in Cypress, Texas. Brian explained the history of Petra Cares, which provides an automotive foundations course for youth aging out of foster care and assists them with acquiring a job in the automotive industry after successfully completing that course. Through partnerships with Lone Star College and other organizations, this nonprofit ensures wrap-around supports for the youth who sign up for their 7-week program. They are a young organization, but they have caught the eye of other cities and are already in talks about expanding.
Resources mentioned during podcast:
Petra Cares
Young Life
KSPJ Christian Radio
The Riverside Project
The HAY Center
Angel Reach
Petra Cares
Young Life
KSPJ Christian Radio
The Riverside Project
The HAY Center
Angel Reach
01/06/24
In this episode, Lynn Tonini interviews Donna Skora, Founder of Surrogate Grandparents USA, based in Summerfield, FL. We discussed the reason that she started this Facebook page, which is dedicated to connecting people in order to develop chosen families. We then moved into a conversation about how this site can help connect former foster youth with adults who can serve as surrogate family and mentors. We wrapped up with the challenges that youth aging out of foster care face, and how developing a strong relationship with supportive adults can be the key to making the transition successfully.
Resources mentioned during podcast:
Surrogate Grandparents USA
Trauma Informed Care
Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)
Positive Childhood Experiences (PCEs)
Foster Care Alumni of America
Surrogate Grandparents USA
Trauma Informed Care
Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)
Positive Childhood Experiences (PCEs)
Foster Care Alumni of America
