Third Sector is a nonprofit advisory firm whose mission is to transform public systems to advance and improve equitable outcomes. Oscar Benitez (Managing Director) and Ty Peake (Manager) supported Candis L. Jones (Chaffee Independent Living Program Director) in presenting a LabStorm at Feedback+Atlanta about helping young people to navigate adulthood after foster care in Atlanta. The Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS) identified youth who needed additional support during the transition out of foster care, and tasked Third Sector with overseeing the development of new transition processes for youth and staff in the DeKalb and Fulton counties of Metro-Atlanta. While DCFS established a continuum of support model to stabilize the transition out of care, young people still needed more support to develop the skills and know how to pursue career options after foster care.

During the LabStorm, Third Sector and DFCS presented challenges the agency grappled with related to offering enhanced better life skills development, potential strategies to garner interest in post-high school plans, and how to receive youth feedback on these new initiatives without creating a burden. Attendees identified through robust discussion three key insights and recommendations for addressing these challenges through Georgia’s Resilient, Youth-Centered, Stable, and Empowered Independent Living Program: 

  • Provide opportunities for relationship building
  • Offering real experiences is key
  • Incorporate the strategies used in philanthropy

Read the full article about centering youth voices by Lily Kirschner at Feedback Labs.