Fostering Youth Independence officials organized a team building exercise Tuesday evening at Unlocked Escape Rooms.

Fostering Youth Independence is a non-profit organization meant to assist individuals aging out of the foster system without having been adopted or united with their birth parents.

The April 3 event was designed to be an activity that cultivates a sense of teamwork and unity between these youth members, according to FYI officials.

“We realize how much the youth appreciate getting together and being with other foster youth and sharing similar experiences,” said Carolyn Olsen, Executive Director and co-founder of Fostering Youth Independence.

Escape rooms are a type of interactive entertainment in which individuals pay to take part in some sort of fantasy confinement scenario. Teams of participants must use their wits to find tools and clues in order to escape the room in a given amount of time.

Olsen added that FYI tries to organize events every other month to encourage community building and the interaction of youth members and their allies in order to grow each youth member’s circle of influence and give them more caring adults they can rely on.

“When a lot of youth come to us, during the intake process, we ask if they can name an adult, someone over the age of 30, that they can rely on; many cannot even name one,” lamented Olsen.

“So, we saw a need to help these kids,” said Olsen. “There’s a lot of resources for them to be able to continue their education without any parental support, but it’s very difficult for them to do that.”
When the event was over, the group made their way to a pizza parlor for dinner, where each of the young FYI members were met with easter baskets donated by a classroom from an Our Lady Of Perpetual Help Catholic School classroom, according to FYI officials.

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