A talented person with a turbulent past, Erik participated in CYI’s LEAP strategy for college students who experienced foster care. Thanks to LEAP and your support, he now thrives. Read More.
Blog Archives
Erik’s Story: How He Went from Uncertainty to a Natural Leader, Thanks to His Talents and Connected Youth Initiative
Tagged with: (Re)Connecting Youth, connected youth initiative, Connected Youth Initiatve, CYI, foster care, foster care system, foster youth, LEAP, Learn and Earn to Achieve Potential, project everlast, Project Everlast Lincoln, Project Everlast Omaha
Posted in News and Events, Systems, Teen/Early Adulthood
Posted in News and Events, Systems, Teen/Early Adulthood
Alex Finds and Shares His Success with a CYI Program
Alex thought college would be financially impossible. Thanks to his determination and the CYI LEAP program, which provides college-related supports for young people with foster care experience, he’s happily proven wrong. Read more.
What Happens to Youth Who Age Out of Foster Care? They GRADUATE on to the Next Chapter!
Thanks to alignment with CYI’s LEAP program, ETV recipients and their coaches can also tackle subjects such as relationships, work-life balance, housing, and scheduling. During these meetings, the coach offers encouragement that builds on the young person’s previous accomplishment and creates plans for future ones. Coaches will link youth to campus support systems as well. Let’s hear Elaine’s story, in her words.
New Beginnings and Homes: Connected Youth Initiative Supports a Young Woman
A young woman was temporarily homeless. How did she use her resilience, resources, and a little support from a Central Navigator and KAJ Hospitality to find a place she now calls home?
Kloreace’s Story: Opportunity Passport, Commitment, and Work Ethic Take Her Home
At 25 years old, Kloreace thought big and dreamed bigger. Six months after enrolling in Opportunity Passport™, she bought a house! A passionate school psychologist, she possesses many talents: she’s intelligent, driven, and compassionate. She’s also an advocate for the Opportunity Passport ™ program, which we oversee along with Community Action Partnership of Lancaster and Saunders Counties.
Happy Campers: Camp Catch-Up’s Virtual Vibes Still Brings Socially Distanced Siblings Together
Not even a pandemic could stop Camp Catch-Up! An annual event that reunites siblings who were separated by the foster care system, Camp Catch-Up Virtual Sibling Vibes was held this year on July 6 -10 via Zoom. All the children, youth, and counselors logged on – and then the games literally began! From Gaga ball to a talent show to storytelling, counselors and coordinators made sure that a good time was had by all. 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”
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.
Reconnecting Youth with Foster Care Experience: Project Everlast and its Supporters Help a Young Man Remain Connected
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.
Support Helps a Driven Young Woman with Foster Care Experience Continue to Thrive
Bright, capable Rosa entered the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a long list of scholarships. A trauma survivor who suffers from mental health issues, Rosa’s first semester of college marked a particularly difficult time. What resources did this capable young woman have to support her?
Former Foster Youth and Connected Youth Initiative Participant Gains Financial Empowerment, Dental Care, and Reason to Smile
A young. single mother with foster care experience, Sheri knew she was capable of finding a job but needed extensive dental work. Through her determination, Connected Youth Initiative participation, read more about this young woman’s success story…and smile.
