Last week, the legislature voted 42-0 to pass LB 853. Known casually as the “LB 216 Cleanup Bill,” this bill was written to implement the Young Adult Voluntary Supports and Services Act that last year’s LB 216 required. Putting into…
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Project Everlast youth testify on behalf of LB 853
Last year, LB 216 was adopted 44-2 by the Unicameral. This hard-won piece of legislation ensured that young people aging out of Nebraska’s foster care system would have a basic safety net of support as they transition into adulthood, in order to…
Project Everlast honored with Roots of Justice Award
Last Thursday, Nebraska Appleseed held its Good Apple Awards ceremony honoring, among others, Project Everlast for its role in helping LB 216, the Young Adult Voluntary Services and Supports Act, pass. Amy West, Child Welfare Policy Coordinator at Nebraska Appleseed…
The Resilience of Youth: Part III – Traci’s Story
It’s been 20 years since Traci aged out of foster care. And her story illustrates one universal truth. Support makes the difference. Supportive families mean the difference between school success and academic underachievement. Supportive relationships are the difference between recovering…
The Resilience of Youth – Part II: Akeeme’s story
When it comes to living through the grim statistics that face youth who age out of care, Akeeme has most of them covered. Two weeks before aging out, his plans for housing fell though. So he had to scramble for…
What adolescent brain research tells us about aging out of foster care
Gary Stangler, Executive Director of the Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative sat down with us to discuss some of the recent research about the adolescent brain. It turns out – and this comes as no surprise to any parent of…
Tagged with: foster care, gary stangler, jim casey, LB 216, project everlast
Posted in Teen/Early Adulthood
Posted in Teen/Early Adulthood
The voice of the Nebraska’s youth is loud and clear to senators
On Monday, March 25, youth from Project Everlast hosted a well attended luncheon for Nebraska state senators. This, in and of itself, isn’t extraordinary. Here’s what is. These young people worked all day Sunday to go through each of the…
Gary Stangler on Extending Foster Care Supports
Last Thursday, we were fortunate enough to have Gary Stangler, Executive Director for the Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative speak to staff, donors, and youth at Nebraska Children and Families Foundation. The theme of the talk was simple: “Foster youth…
Save state money: Extend foster support to age 21
By Jennifer Skala, Vice President of Community Impact When most people think of foster care, they think of families caring for babies and young children on a temporary basis. And, to be fair, this is what the foster care system…
Growing the Good Life 