VIP Program

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

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The premise of youth-centered framework is that “through interdependent relationships with family, friends, and community, and particularly through connections with competent and caring adults, transitioning youth will have the resources and supports to succeed in all of the important areas—or domains—of their lives.

Cultural and Personal Identity Formation
Supportive Relationships and Community
Connections
Physical and Mental Health
Life Skills
Education
Employment
Housing

	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....

VIP FOSTER YOUTH MENTOR PROGRAM

The VIP Foster Youth Mentor Program will serve 100 foster youth per year ages 16-21 living in southeastern San Diego and City Heights. Priority will be given to those youth closest to aging out of the system. The program provides a comprehensive array of services designed to equip youth with a specific skill set that will place them on a path to a successful and self-sufficient future. The program is housed at the Tubman Chavez Center at 415 Euclid Avenue across the street from a major transit center in the Diamond Business District. The program operates for 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The program is based on research and best practices in the fields of education, project based learning, mentoring, music and workforce development. The research base for each component is included in the description of that component in the narrative below. The program utilizes It’s My Life: A Framework for Youth Transitioning from Foster Care to Successful Adulthood as the framework and youth-centered model. It’s My Life was developed by Casey Family Programs in response to the passage of the Foster Care Independence Act in 2000 and is the result of a literature review and program review to identify best practices, conducted by a steering committee including Casey staff, foster youth and former foster youth, as well as experts and practitioners from multiple fields.

The program also incorporates the Search Institute’s 40 developmental assets, a framework of two groups of 20 assets. External assets are the positive experiences young people receive from the world around them. These 20 assets are about supporting and empowering young people, and about setting boundaries and expectations. Internal assets identify those characteristics and behaviors that reflect positive internal growth and development and help youth make positive choices. Research demonstrates that the greater the numbers of developmental assets experienced by youth, the more positive and successful their development. The fewer the number of assets present, the greater the possibility that youth will engage in risk behaviors such as drug use, unsafe sex, and violence.