Trauma-Healing Intensive & Trade School

Support for foster and systems-impacted youth

Pilot or new project, program, or initiative (testing or implementing a new idea)

Through Fostering Care, youths who are no longer eligible to be in the Foster Care system will be provided with tools to aid in healing not only their mind, body, and spirit, but also taught life skills to assist them in becoming functional, prosperous adults in society. “Studies show that a large percentage of youth aging out of foster care end up homeless. The approach provided through Fostering Care provides a more positive trajectory for youth aging out of foster care. I believe it’s better to provide the life tools for improving their lives rather than treat them with medications that might not be necessary given positive intervention. “ ~ John G. Peleuses, Fostering Care Advisory Board Member, Hospital Development & Healthcare Consultants: www.peleuses.com

Studies show that a large percentage of youth aging out of foster care end up homeless. Young people leaving foster care are often at different levels of development in their transition to adulthood. With the growing recognition that most young people are not fully prepared for self-sufficiency at age 18, States offer a variety of programs, including foster care, to this population, but nothing that can fully prepare them for the next step in their lives.
Foster care is a system in which a minor has been placed into a ward, group home, or private home of a state-certified caregiver, referred to as a "foster parent", or with a family member approved by the state. The placement of a "foster child" is normally arranged through the government or a social service agency. Wikipedia In the U.S. today, approximately 400,000 children and youth are in foster care at any given time and each year about 20,000 of these youth emancipate (i.e., age out) of the system. A positive PK-12 education experience has the potential to be a powerful counterweight to the abuse, neglect, separation, impermanence, and other barriers these vulnerable students experience. Additionally, participation in and persistence to a postsecondary credential can enhance their well-being, help them make more successful transitions to adulthood, and increase their chances for personal fulfillment and economic self-sufficiency.
[US Dept of Education - https://www2.ed.gov/about/inits/ed/foster-care/index.html]

Our groundbreaking program seeks to disrupt the cycle of adverse outcomes encountered by these youths through tailored modalities and therapies intended to strengthen their immune and neurological systems, boost self-esteem, and ultimately fortify their whole person. Set to commence in Los Angeles County, in 2024, Fostering Care believes the unique demographic we serve will become, once safe and secure, actualized and powerful leaders. Fostering Care offers a revolutionary perspective on the often negative results for youth aging out of foster care. Studies show that 80-90% of youth aging out of foster care end up homeless, in prisons, or commit suicide. Our program will drastically affect these statistics within a few semesters as our graduates exit with state-certified trades, college credits, and personalized education plans. Fostering Care graduates will be well-positioned to meet this demand.

Fostering Care’s pioneering paradigm is crafted by the powerful, trauma-healing path of founder, and foster care survivor, Angela Featherstone.“As a former foster youth and a longtime mentor, advocate, and volunteer of children in foster care, I can guarantee it will do the same for them.” ~ Angela Featherstone This strategic collaboration integrates the expertise of world-renowned physicians, trauma experts, and essential psychologists into its board, faculty, and healing staff and represents a forward-thinking approach that extends the program's impact beyond the classroom. It will actively shape the future landscape of mental health practitioners and educators. Fostering Care's trailblazing nature lies in its holistic approach to prosperity for youth exiting a brutal system into a world they are unprepared for to reshape the narrative of their futures: