Blog Archives

Crossing Over: New Connected Youth Initiative GOALS Program Helps Create a Bridge Between Youth and Supports

Posted on July 15, 2020 by Nebraska Children — Leave a comment

Imagine having experienced the foster care system. Maybe you connected with a family. Maybe you didn’t, and now you’re alone. You’re ready to live your best life, but are so focused on surviving, you’ve yet to approach thriving.

The Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Labor, CYI, Central Plains Center for Services and The Sherwood Foundation have teamed up to create Granting Opportunities for Achievement and Lifelong Success (GOALS). This initiative supports young adults who are transitioning from extended foster care during and throughout the pandemic. Read more.

Zeny: A Young Woman with an Incredible Work Ethic, Meets Her Goals and Says, “I Can’t Wait to Give Back One Day”

Posted on June 15, 2020 by Nebraska Children — Leave a comment

When Zeny and her husband moved from the small town of Hastings, Nebraska to Lincoln, she had to begin all over again. For anyone who has encountered not only a new chapter in life, but a new library, that transition can be scary, exciting, and abrupt. One CYI component that helped Zeny along her way was Opportunity Passport™, which is implemented in Lincoln by Community Action Partnership of Lancaster and Saunders County. Read more about Zeny’s accomplishments.

Connected Youth Initiative: Kevin, a Motivated Young Man, Arrives at Success, Thanks to His Determination and a Little Help from Opportunity Passport

Posted on May 27, 2020 by Nebraska Children — Leave a comment

Kevin has been a participant in Opportunity Passport™ for over three years. He speaks three languages, plans to attend college, continues to demonstrate financial self-sufficiency. Given these skills, he’s already created a solid foundation but has built on these existing talents. Read more to see how he accomplished his goals!

Resources for Unconnected Youth: Connected Youth Initiative Grants Hope During an unsettling time, our communities and youth with foster care experience matter. Despite these challenges, positive changes are happening every day both here at Nebraska Children and Families Foundation and in the communities in which we work. We’ve seen…

Project Everlast Omaha Launches Mobile Pantries to Ensure Youth Have Access to Food and Necessities

Posted on May 20, 2020 by Nebraska Children — Leave a comment

Long before the pandemic, Connected Youth Initiative’s Project Everlast Omaha, its partners, and the community has offered programs to assist unconnected youth. The term “unconnected youth” refers to young people between the ages of 14-25 years of age who have experienced the foster care system, juvenile justice system and/or probation, homelessness, or human trafficking. Find out more about Project Everlast Omaha’s efforts to support unconnected youth!

Reconnecting Youth with Foster Care Experience: Project Everlast and its Supporters Help a Young Man Remain Connected

Posted on May 8, 2020 by Nebraska Children — Leave a comment

As COVID-19 numbers rise, Project Everlast Omaha seeks out those affected youth in the metro, particularly those released from incarceration. For young members of our community, feeling excluded is hard enough, but being released into an uncertain, altered world is even more taxing.

Read more about how Project Everlast Omaha assisted a young man who had been released from incarceration.

Connected Youth Initiative and COVID-19: A Domestic Abuse Survivor Steps into Brighter Times

Posted on May 7, 2020 by Nebraska Children — Leave a comment

How did a young mother'and domestic abuse survivor's resolve and Connected Youth Initiative help her move into brighter times?

As we search for light in dark corners, we must acknowledge the struggles, strengths and triumphs of these youth. Each one has a different story; each one is capable of being remarkably successful, sometimes with a little support from CYI’s resources.

Recently, one young mother’s story arrives at a welcome time. Although her experience was not easy, and was perhaps exacerbated by the coronavirus, we are glad that she was resourceful and resilient enough to ask for assistance, and that CYI was there to help. Read this young woman’s story.

Connected Youth Initiative Completes Rigorous, Independent SIF Evaluation

Posted on March 2, 2020 by Nebraska Children — Leave a comment

In 2015, the Corporation for National and Community Service awarded a Social Innovation Fund (SIF) grant to Nebraska Children and Families Foundation. The grant was used to expand our successful Connected Youth Initiative (CYI) model to rural communities across the state to help unconnected youth, including young people aging out of foster care, to become thriving citizens. We are energized to see that participation in CYI may be associated with some successful outcomes. We’ll explain all of that and more.

Visualize and Use Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Data

Posted on December 11, 2019 by Nebraska Children — Leave a comment

By Doug Folkers, Information Systems Officer (Nebraska Department of Education)– written for the Preschool Development Grant newsletter As part of PDG grant efforts in Nebraska, the creation of a tool that lays a foundation for visualizing and using data to…

Posted in Early Childhood, Systems

$30 Million Preschool Development Grant Renewal Application Submitted

Posted on December 11, 2019 by Nebraska Children — Leave a comment

by Eva Roberts, Director of Strategic Initiatives (Buffett Early Childhood Fund) – written for the Preschool Development Grant (PDG) newsletter The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services has submitted a three-year, $30 million Preschool Development Grant Renewal proposal designed…

Posted in Early Childhood, Systems, Uncategorized

Newly Released Interactive Map Puts Vital Community Data at Users’ Fingertips

Posted on November 13, 2019 by Nebraska Children — Leave a comment

ree, interactive tool, the Nebraska Community Opportunity Map, is now live, ensuring that policymakers and other stakeholders will have centralized, easy-to-navigate access to data that’s vital to making decisions about resource allocation, service delivery, emergency planning, city planning, and other critical functions.