Building Your Future: Postsecondary Education, Community Supports, and Your Voice
📅 Wednesday, September 30 @ 1:00 p.m. ET
🎫 Register for free
Building Your Future is a free, 3-hour virtual convening for youth and young adults with experiences in the foster care and/or juvenile justice systems, or who have experienced housing insecurity or homelessness.
Join young people from around the country to connect with peers, learn about resources and rights, build practical skills for navigating life and advocating for yourself, and explore ways to care for yourself and your community. Through interactive activities, small-group conversations, and fun community care sessions, participants will have space to share, learn from one another, and leave with tools they can actually use.
Identify national and community resources that support youth and young adults navigating transitions and planning for the future.
Increase understanding of your rights and considerations when navigating systems and accessing services.
Practice strategies for self-advocacy when communicating your needs with professionals and other adults.
Explore ways to build and maintain supportive connections with peers, trusted adults, and your communities.
Identify practical strategies for community care and personal well-being that can be used in everyday life.
About the Presenters
Christina Dukes is a federal and state policy, practice, and partnerships professional with extensive experience advancing education and wraparound support systems for students experiencing homelessness and foster care. She is the Founder and Principal of Pearl Strategies, a small, woman-owned education and human services consulting business based in the Charlotte metropolitan area.
Youth Collaboratory’s Kendel DeHart, Regina (Archie) Dix, Martine Jones, and Dash Togi have worked extensively on youth housing and systems navigation and collaboration. The TA team brings both personal and professional experience to this youth convening, and they are proud to host Community Care Spaces that will focus on building community and empowering youth voices.
About Youth Collaboratory
Youth Collaboratory is a network of organizations, youth, and professionals that harness the power of the youth services community to innovate, evaluate, and drive effective strategies that assure the safety and well-being of youth and young adults, unlocking their limitless potential.
This project was supported by Grant # 15JDP-22-GK-04981 awarded by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in these programs are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Department of Justice.