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Printed
March 22, 2006
Santa Clara Weekly
Bill
Wilson Center Equips Youth for Independent Lives
By Carolyn Schuk
Santa Clara Weekly
When young people "age out" of the foster care system at 18, all too often they're just one misstep away from homelessness. The Santa Clara-based Bill Wilson Center's (BWC) Independent Living Skills (ILP) program is working to remedy that.
"Unlike adults emerging from a family, foster care kids don't have a family to fall back on if times get tight," explains BWC spokeswoman Tracy DeMay.
On March 8 the ILP had an open house to share its programs and successes with the community. The program's focus is to teach foster care youth, and youth emancipated from foster care, the skills needed for self-sufficiency, DeMay says. Hands-on activities help young people with job skills like resume writing, household management tasks like budgeting, and building interpersonal skills.
The program has achieved measurable success. While nationally only 57 percent of emancipated youth earn a high school diploma, 87 percent of ILP participants graduate from high school.
The statistics are equally impressive when it comes to employment. While only 47 percent of emancipated youth nationally are employed, the program is successful in driving that statistic up to 74 percent for participants.
"It's pretty typical for foster kids to move from home to home," says BWC Executive Director Sparky Harlan. "Often, there's no parent or guardian to coach a child in basic skills such as household and money management, not to mention career development and higher education planning," she explains. "Bill Wilson Center provides guidance, training and encouragement in these areas that are key for a successful adulthood."
For more information about the Bill Wilson Center, visit www.billwilsoncenter.org or call (408) 243-0222.