"Elevate" Program Gives Foster Youth a Hand

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Children & Families of Iowa's Fort Dodge Elevate Chapter Facilitator

FORT DODGE, IA (11/30/2009)(readMedia)-- Growing up is a tough enough job for youth today, but it's even harder for youth in foster care. Children & Families of Iowa is providing youth who've been placed in state care with valuable experiences that they might not get otherwise through a program called Elevate.

In many instances, children who have been removed from their birth families have had to focus on surviving, rather than thriving, often without consistent role models to demonstrate financial management, job preparedness or the basics of personal health. "The odds are against these youth," says Maria Weydert, facilitator of Children & Families of Iowa's new Elevate chapter in Fort Dodge. "We try to help youth beat the odds."

According to the Iowa Department of Human Services:

Half of all foster youth who age out of the system at age 18 will not graduate from high school within four years,

20 percent will end up homeless,

One-half of girls will become pregnant by 19, and

A full one-quarter of males will be incarcerated at least one night within two years of leaving the system.

CFI's Fort Dodge Elevate group meets from 6 p.m. 7:30 p.m. on the second and fourth Thursdays of the month at the Fort Dodge CFI office, 111 Ave O West. Youth ages 13 and up who have been in foster care, adoptive care or group care at some point are encouraged to attend.

The chapter currently has 15 registered members who began meeting in August. Since that time, the group has hosted presenters from Iowa Legal Aid, who explained tenant/renter relationships, rights and responsibilities. Community volunteers have shared study skills, assisted youth in filling out W-2 forms and provided information about developing healthy relationships. Youth have also had opportunities to attend a leadership retreat in St. Charles, Iowa, where they practiced public-speaking skills and to assist with an Adoption Saturday event in November, where they provided day care for and made a presentation to families adopting children that day.

Looking ahead, Weydert is planning new-member training for December and a chapter kick-off party in the first part of the new year.

Weydert, who has a BA in elementary education and is also an in-home counselor and adoption support specialist for CFI, says, "Elevate gives youth a voice so they have a say in their own futures. It also gives them a place where they feel accepted by their peers because they share similar experiences."

If you're looking for a speaker for your next meeting, if you'd like more information about CFI's Elevate or if you'd like to share your time, treasure or talent with Elevate youth, please contact: Maria Weydert at 515-571-4271 or e-mail her at mariaw@cfiowa.org. You can also visit CFI's Web site: www.cfiowa.org. Weydert says that the group is always looking for new members, snacks and beverages for meetings, presenters and emergency funds for youth who lack life's basic necessities.

Children & Families of Iowa is a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to restoring hope, building futures and changing lives. Offices in Fort Dodge, Des Moines, Ankeny, Osceola and Centerville allow the organization to restore hope for victims of domestic violence, create safe homes for children and help people reshape their lives statewide.