Among Us: Invisible Experiences Impacting Youth

By: UCLA Center for the Transformation of Schools
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  • Summary

  • Stories of complexity, resilience and progress: The state of the foster care system in the US.


    Foster youth are often invisibilized as they navigate education systems, the effects of structural racism, challenges of poverty and homelessness. This season, we explore the inner workings of the foster care system with those working within it and the students impacted by it.


    Among Us from UCLA’s Center for the Transformation of Schools uplifts the experiences of youth furthest from opportunity, and uncovers how systems and structures both in and out-of-school are either helping or harming young people. Through conversations with community leaders, scholars, advocates, and youth who have persevered, we examine the barriers preventing students from thriving—and what we all can do about it.


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    UCLA Center for the Transformation of Schools
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Political Science Science Social Sciences
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Episodes
  • From Woe to ‘Whoa!’: Foster Youth Advocating for Change

    From Woe to ‘Whoa!’: Foster Youth Advocating for Change
    Sep 25 2024
    When it comes to system reform, the perspectives we should pay the most attention to are those who know the system best: individuals with lived experience. Our final episode of this season features two young changemakers using their experiences in foster care to help create a better reality for youth today. Eve Aaliyah Valdez is a youth activist with California Youth Connection, a youth-led organization that aims to transform foster care. Demontea Thompson is a doctoral candidate in the UCLA School of Education, a foster care researcher, and co-founder of Twinspire, a nonprofit organization that provides financial literacy to young people with foster care experience. How can we better prioritize basic needs for foster youth? What happens when we invite young people with lived experience to actively participate in research and reform processes? Guest speaker 1: Eve Aaliyah Valdez, Youth Activist, California Youth ConnectionGuest speaker 2: Demontea Thompson, Executive Director & co-founder, Together We Inspire; Doctoral Candidate & Researcher, UCLA Center for the Transformation of Schools, UCLA School of Education and Information Studies Interviewer: Angela James, Senior Project Scientist, UCLA Center for the Transformation of Schools Among Us is a podcast by the UCLA Center for the Transformation of Schools. Geneva Sum is the host and Creative Director. Angela James is the Interviewer. Elizabeth Windom is the Supervising Producer. Julia Windom is the Editor. Caitlyn McAloon is the Production Coordinator. J Woodward is the Senior Producer. Among Us is produced by Windhaven Productions and Bluejay Atlantic.Join the CTS mailing listFollow CTS or share your thoughts with us at ctschools@ucla.edu.Show Notes:Foster(ing) Youth in the California State University (UCLA CTS report, 2023).DCFS (Department of Children and Family Services)Children’s InstituteUnited FriendsAlan DettlaffDorothy RobertsChafee GrantTHP-Plus (Transitional Housing Program Plus)ILP (Independent Living Program)CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates)Medi-CalSelf-harm crisis line Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    40 mins
  • Aging Out: The Next Chapter After Foster Care

    Aging Out: The Next Chapter After Foster Care
    Sep 18 2024

    Transition-age foster youth are young people between 16 and 25 years old who are transitioning out of the foster care system and into adulthood. Many of them are not prepared to live independently or have a strong support system to lean on. They may need help with finding stable housing or employment, paying for college, and curating supportive relationships they can rely on. Youth aging out of care could also be experiencing trauma and other challenges in addition to these transitions. We speak with Amy Dworsky and Liz Squibb about the common obstacles foster youth face as they age out of care, and actions we can take to better support youth and families.


    What happens after foster youth age out of care? What supports do they need to thrive as adults?


    Guest speaker 1: Amy Dworsky, Senior Research Fellow, Chapin Hall

    Guest speaker 2: Liz Squibb, Senior Associate, Center for the Study of Social Policy

    Interviewer: Dr. Joseph Bishop, Executive Director & co-founder, UCLA Center for the Transformation of Schools


    Among Us is a podcast by the UCLA Center for the Transformation of Schools. Geneva Sum is the host and Creative Director. Joseph Bishop is the Interviewer. Elizabeth Windom is the Supervising Producer. Julia Windom is the Editor. Caitlyn McAloon is the Production Coordinator. J Woodward is the Senior Producer. Among Us is produced by Windhaven Productions and Bluejay Atlantic.


    Join the CTS mailing list

    Follow CTS or share your thoughts with us at ctschools@ucla.edu.


    Show Notes:

    • Youth in Transition (Aging Out)
    • Midwest Evaluation of the Adult Functioning of Former Foster Youth: Outcomes at Age 26 (Courtney, et al., 2011).
    • Foster(ing) Youth in the California State University: Understanding the Vital Role of Campus Support Programs (UCLA CTS report, 2023).
    • FUP (Family Unification Program)
    • FYI (Foster Youth to Independence) Program
    • Annie E. Casey Foundation
    • Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative
    • Child Tax Credit

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    40 mins
  • Breaking Through Barriers: Foster Youth Navigating Higher Education

    Breaking Through Barriers: Foster Youth Navigating Higher Education
    Sep 11 2024

    Nationally, only 3 out of 100 foster youth graduate with a bachelor's degree by age 26. Recent legislation in some states aims to increase this number by covering the full cost of in-state college attendance. However, students with foster care experience need a tremendous amount of support beyond financial aid to thrive in college and beyond, in areas such as life skills, housing and finances, self-care, and dependable relationships with trusted adults. Scholars Kizzy Lopez and Nate Okpych join us to uplift the real barriers that foster youth face in accessing higher education, navigating college and campus life, and support programs that some campuses offer for foster youth.


    How can we create better pathways for foster youth to attend college and support them through their college years?


    Guest speaker 1: Kizzy Lopez, Director of Student Success, Basic Needs & Retention, Fresno City College; former Program Coordinator, Renaissance Scholars Program, California State University, Fresno

    Guest speaker 2: Nate Okpych, Associate Professor, University of Connecticut School of Social Work

    Interviewer: Audra Langley, Clinical Psychologist and Professor of Health Sciences, UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior and UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine Department of Pediatrics; Director, UCLA TIES for Families; Co-Director, UCLA Pritzker Center for Strengthening Children and Families; Faculty Advisory Board member, UCLA Center for the Transformation of Schools


    Among Us is a podcast by the UCLA Center for the Transformation of Schools. Geneva Sum is the host and Creative Director. Audra Langley is the Interviewer. Elizabeth Windom is the Supervising Producer. Julia Windom is the Editor. Caitlyn McAloon is the Production Coordinator. J Woodward is the Senior Producer. Among Us is produced by Windhaven Productions and Bluejay Atlantic.


    Join the CTS mailing list

    Follow CTS or share your thoughts with us at ctschools@ucla.edu.


    Show Notes:

    • 3% of foster youth graduate with a bachelor’s degree by age 26
    • Foster Youth Campus Support Programs in California
    • UCLA CTS report, Foster(ing) Youth in the California State University: Understanding the Vital Role of Campus Support Programs
    • John Burton Advocates for Youth
    • Post-Secondary Education Experiences and Attainment Among Youth With Foster Care Backgrounds
    • National Research Collaborative for Foster Alumni and Higher Education
    • Californians For Justice

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    32 mins

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