Empowerment Association

MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN THE
LIVES OF OUR CHILDREN!!!

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The Empowerment Association provides information about available resources and services (community, health and social services, education, employment, housing, childcare, etc.).

Empowerment Association, foster parents and partnering agencies collaborate to enhance the following services:

Mentoring
Group Mentoring/Activities
Peer to Peer Mentoring
Life Skills
Systems Navigation/Self Advocacy
Job Skills
Customer Service Skills
Computer Technology
Tutoring
College Preparation
Counseling
Entrepreneurial Training
Transitional Services, Vocational Training and Training for independent Living

Services are tailored for each individual. Our goal is to help foster youth to become self-sufficient, productive, self advocating and contributing members of society.

	Help Support the Children Volunteers are needed to make a difference in a child's life. Many types of volunteers are needed, like speaking, chaperoning and more....

The Empowerment Association was created in 1995 by professional and non-professional women. The Empowerment Association's mission is to enhance and empower foster youth through mentoring, computer technology, education and collaboration.

In 2006, the Empowerment Association responded to an urgent need, identified through research, the news media and through contact with older foster youth. These older youth need support in acquiring the skills needed for self sufficiency as they age out of the foster care system at age 18.

Our target population is foster youth ages 16-21 living in southeastern San Diego and City Heights. Children's Services report that there are 7,000 children in foster care in San Diego; 1,800 are between the ages of 16-21. Youth age out of the system at age 18 and cannot receive any financial assistance other than Medi-Cal benefits that continue until age 21.

Important Facts

Foster youth need consistent, stable adult role models to guide them to a successful life path.

About 40% of foster youth in our nation become homeless within 12 months after reaching their 18th birthday.

More than 2 million children have a parent in prison.

Approximately 60% of foster care girls become pregnant within four years of leaving the system.

A typical foster child in San Diego County will live in an average of 10 different foster homes and in some cases be placed in as many as 25 homes by the time they reach 18.

Foster youth in San Diego attend an average of five to six high schools during their teenage years.

Last year, 16.6 million Americans had substance abuse problems (what happened to their children?).

Source: Child Abuse Prevention Foundation,
San Diego