Get Involved - Prepare Youth for Careers
Whether you’re in a position to hire a current or former foster youth, provide them an internship, help them secure housing, or be a mentor to them, you can help guide older youth on their path to adulthood in many ways:
- Coach through advising
- Equip youth with new skills
- Build relationships skills
- Teach money management
- Help secure steady employment
- Train in workforce readiness
- Encourage civic and social involvement in clubs and groups
Make a Difference Near You
Our community partners across Southern California can help you get involved:
Alliance for Children’s Rights
Since 1992, the Alliance for Children’s Rights has provided free advocacy and legal assistance for abused and neglected youth to ensure they have safe homes, healthcare, and the education they need to thrive. You can get involved as a mentor or job coach for young adults preparing for life after foster care, helping them successfully achieve independence and stability.
Children’s Institute, Inc. (CII)
CII’s Youth Development Services are designed to help transitional age youth (16-25) develop the resilience they need to overcome the many stressors they face in their daily lives. As a mentor, you can help build their leadership and talent, promote self-esteem and the development of transferrable skills and provide opportunities for enrichment and success.
Extraordinary Families’ UP4Youth workforce program (Unlimited Possibilities for Youth) is designed to provide employment and job training to transitional age youth (age 16 to 25). As a volunteer, you can equip older teens with job readiness, financial management and education preparation.
Founded in 1913, Hillsides, a Southern California foster care charity headquartered in Los Angeles, is dedicated to healing children and young adults, strengthening families and transforming communities through quality comprehensive services and advocacy. One of its five core programs, Youth Moving On, helps youth formerly in foster care or probation transition to successful adulthood. Youth receive workforce training and are matched with internships and jobs, among other services. To learn more about Hillsides’ Youth Moving On program, please visit www.hillsides.org.
Ready To Succeed (RTS) is a Career Prep + Internship program for transition-age foster youth attending four year colleges. You can get involved by joining our Mentor on Demand Network, a growing community of professionals who share their expertise, open their networks and help students explore, and connect to potential employers.
The RightWay Foundation works with current or emancipated foster youth to become empowered, productive and self-sufficient. As a volunteer, you can support their needs of housing, therapy, job placement, financial literacy, career counseling and more.
United Friends of the Children (UFC)
UFC empowers foster youth towards self-sufficiency in many ways, including internship opportunities with the Pathways and College Sponsorship Program. As an Internship Partner, you can help them gain job skills.