Behind the Business, a program to introduce our young adults to a wide range of career possibilities, is underway at Forward Steps! Behind the Business (BtB) introduces young adults in our program to a variety of businesses and potential career opportunities. BtB tour guides provide unique behind the scenes access to the many departments and functions that make their specific businesses run.

The most popular employment choices for our young adults are often lawyer or social worker because those are the professions they are most exposed to while in foster care. As an extension of the valuable mentoring and life skills training Forward Steps provides, the BtB program is designed to inspire new ideas and present expanded options. The hope is that our young adults will envision themselves in one of these roles and that Forward Steps can support them on their path to get there.

If you work for a local company and would be interested in sharing your career insights while serving as a tour guide in our Behind the Business program, we’d like to hear from you. Our young adults will benefit greatly from your time and experience.

According to The National Resource Center for Permanency and Family Connections, nearly ¼ of the youth in foster care in Colorado are the ages 16 – 18. That means that a large majority of our foster care youth will soon be what we call ‘aging out’ or emancipating from the system, many of them without lifelong families. On their own, these young adults must navigate a weakened economy offering fewer jobs and less support for vital services such as housing. They need – and deserve – caring adults who love and support them. Forward Steps provides that support. Participants in our program receive:

• Housing in a one-bedroom apartment
• Assistance obtaining/maintaining employment
• Life skills training like money management, household management, community navigation
• Personal wellness
• Cultural experiences or fun with a purpose

There are many ways to help Forward Steps in our mission to support these young adults so they can reach their full potential as active, independent, self-sufficient members of their communities. Join us!

Elitch Gardens is offering special tickets to benefit local nonprofits. Purchase a ticket and raise money for Forward Steps!

• Tickets are $24.99 and Forward Steps keeps $5 for every ticket sold
• Tickets are valid any operating day in May with 19 days to choose from

Get tickets to Elitch Gardens today!

Sabrina Huffaker, Forward Steps’ Executive Director, recently joined Foster Care Alumni of America’s (FCAA) national advisory committee. The committee focuses on performing advocacy, policy and outreach duties in support of the association’s mission—“Connect Today and Transform Tomorrow”.

The U.S. Senate Caucus on Foster Youth has published a Called to Action listing changes they wanted to see in the system.  U.S Representatives are also developing their own caucus to examine child welfare system reform. We are glad to say that Colorado’s Congressman Cory Gardner (District 4) is a member of this Foster Youth caucus.

These bipartisan groups are charged with doing the necessary research with subject matter experts—like Forward Steps, its affiliates, and foster care youth—before taking what they learned and turning it into bills to be passed by Congress.

Forward Steps cares about what happens to foster care youth once they emancipate from the system, and helping to change the system is one way we demonstrate this. We will continue to monitor these efforts, as we understand the impacts of legislation as it relates to the people we serve.