On Friday, February 23, 2024, OHIO YAB Youth Ambassador Karimah Addison Bolding came to Buckeye Ranch in person to discuss ways that community members can support current and former foster youth. She was supported by foster care alumni Lisa Dickson and Ruth-Ann Jones-Thompson.
During the meeting, we shared a menu of ways that community members can help improve outcomes for the foster care population, which was created previously by members of the OHIO YAB.
Karimah shared a powerful and insightful quote: "The system isn't broken; it's just disconnected."
Future connections that could be made and opportunities that could be pursued include:
1.) Mentoring:
- In Cleveland, they have transformed the Open Table approach into a Community of Hope to support current and former foster youth.
- In Cincinnati, there was a previous Higher Education Mentoring Initiative (HEMI) that drastically improved outcomes for foster youth participants. The program started in ninth grade, lasted throughout post-secondary education and mentors received ongoing trainings. Hamilton County foster care youth and alumni were deeply saddened by the sunsetting of this program.
2.) Sibling Outings:
- A Camp to Belong is one of the only programs in the United States designed specifically to address the relational needs of siblings who are separated by foster care. Sadly, they do not yet have a camp here in Ohio.
- The OHIO YAB and ACTION Ohio hosted our 2023 Self Care Summit for Current and Former Foster Youth at the Hope Valley Retreat Center in Newark. This might be a great site to pilot a future sibling connections retreat.
- CCMEP stands for Comprehensive Case Management and Employment Program. Each county has a designated lead agency responsible for managing CCMEP. Sadly, current and former foster youth don't always know which agency is facilitating the program in their area.
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