It’s been a busy spring for
the JBAY team. Director of Education Jessica Petrass and Senior Project Associate Cody Van Felden attended and presented at the Foster Youth Education Summit in Orange County in early April, and several JBAY staff participated in Pathways to Promise: California’s Early Wealth Account System Summit in Sacramento later that month.
Both events brought foster youth-serving organizations and young people impacted by the foster care system together to learn, reflect, and build community. “It’s heavy work. It is. It requires a lot of muscle to move all of the pieces that are involved,” Cody said. “So just having these events where you get to collaborate with others who have that shared vision, it sparks that fire in everybody again.”
Cody’s presentation at the Foster Youth Ed Summit centered on creative approaches to boost financial aid application completion rates among foster youth, focusing particularly on the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) and the CADAA (California Dream Act Application).
When it comes to the value of post-secondary education, the data is clear. A college degree equates to an additional million dollars in income over a lifetime and is often a gateway to self-sufficiency, career satisfaction, and a higher quality of life. But for foster youth, the need to support themselves may interfere with their desire to go to school—preventing them from taking enough classes to qualify for assistance or from even applying in the first place.
Financial aid makes a huge difference: 84% of high school seniors who complete the FAFSA go on to enroll in higher education, and when a foster youth receives the Chafee Grant, they more than double their likelihood of completing their degree. “That’s why JBAY launched a statewide campaign to boost the number of high school seniors in foster care who complete their financial aid applications in 2017,” Cody said. “Throughout the course of the challenge, we’ve seen a steady increase.”
Co-presenters Ashley Gartin and Dr. La Shona Jenkins, practitioners from Fresno and Los Angeles counties, respectively, shared best practices when it comes to increasing financial aid application rates among foster youth who are high school seniors. All three presenters fielded questions from students in the audience, directing them to resources including JBAY’s Financial Aid Guides, Visual Guides, and High School Counselor Toolkits.
The Pathways to Promise event, hosted by UCLA CalKIDS Institute, the California State Treasurer’s Office, and the California Child Savings Account Coalition, brought together practitioners dedicated to ensuring that kids who grow up in under-resourced communities in California access and take full advantage of every wealth-building opportunity.
Actress, comedian, and activist Tiffany Haddish spoke midday, recalling her own experiences as a foster youth. “If my social worker didn’t know, then I didn’t know,” she said, emphasizing the need to spread the word about resources and benefits available to young people in care. It’s an insight that aligns perfectly with JBAY’s mission and advocacy.
“It’s rare to see organizations really take the time to consider all the support someone might need, and the fact that JBAY does this ultimately gives the power back to the youth,” Cody reflected. “We are always looking for ways to say, ‘Hey, here are these resources so that you have all of this power and control in your corner to make the decisions you feel are appropriate for you and your situation.’”