Help young adults who have aged out of the foster system

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Family & Youth Initiative (DCFYI) Open Table Members change the lives of youth age 21 and older who have aged-out of foster care.

Open Table Members serve as a "board of advisors" to a young adult to help them achieve goals they have set for themselves. This could mean anything from going with the young person to get their first driver’s license; Show them how to read a lease; Encourage them to get their diploma; or whatever goal that young person has set.

Open Table Members form a social safety net to young adults who aged-out of the system without being able to be reunited with family, or adoption. While the commitment for volunteers is for one year, nationally, 95% of Open Table Youths maintain relationships with there Table Members for many years afterward.

We will be recruiting volunteers for our next cohort in March 2023. Our Information Session (virtual meeting) will be posted shortly. This meeting will discuss the 8-week Training program and explain how the Tables work. Volunteers commit to one-hour weekly meetings for one year after completing training.

Family & Youth Initiative offers:

• Training and support;
• An opportunity to help a former foster youth an opportunity to achieve their Life goals;
• A wonderful l community of adults who genuinely care for and support each other.

Family & Youth Initiative mentors:

• Spend at least 1 hour per week for Table Meetings, plus an occasional 2-3 hours one-on-one with the young adult to help them achieve their goals;
• Make a one-year commitment to a Table, once matched;
• Listen to the young adult, and ensure that the goals the Table is working toward are Theirs, not Yours.
• Provide the emotional support the young adult needs to live a better life.

For more information or to volunteer, please visit our website [www.dcfyi.org] or contact us by phone [202-863-0975] or email [info@dcfyi.org]