Local nonprofit Fostering Youth Independence (FYI) is kicking off the new year with a training session for new “Allies” to support Santa Clarita youth who are aging out of the L.A. County foster care system. 

FYI allies provide invaluable support to these vulnerable youth, as each one is paired with a youth who they will help guide and encourage as they complete a post-secondary education – a key to breaking the cycle of challenges faced by these youth.

On January 13 a training session will be held for anyone interested in learning more about what being an FYI Ally entails. The training will take place in the Fellowship Center at Christ Lutheran Church in Valencia from 6-8 pm. 

Those interested can email FYI’s Volunteer Coordinator, Darlene Allen, at [email protected].

Volunteer Allies have the unique opportunity to directly impact the lives of Santa Clarita’s transition-age foster youth (ages 16 to 25) by providing encouragement and support as they transition into adulthood.

“For anyone looking for a meaningful way to contribute to an important cause in the new year, we have more and more local foster youth discovering FYI and wanting to be a part of our community and receive the support we provide,” said Carolyn Olsen, FYI’s executive director and co-founder. “This means we’re in need of additional Allies – both men and women – to offer the care and encouragement these youth may not have had as they’ve traveled through the challenging foster system.”

She explained that Santa Claritans have the opportunity to make a real difference in these youth’s lives by becoming a volunteer Ally and supporting their youth through the journey to obtaining a college degree or trade certificate.

“We’re often asked what Allies do,” Olsen said. “Our Allies support their youth in any number of ways. This can be with calls and texts to check in on them, getting together with them for coffee or meals, helping them with errands, taking them on outings, offering guidance and generally being a sounding board for their questions or issues.”

The benefits Allies offer to local foster youth are clear. Here are some quotes from FYI youth about their Ally experiences:

“To me, what an Ally is, is a best friend. It’s a person who you can go to and call whenever you need help, when you feel lost, or when you feel confused about anything. To me, an Ally is a mentor where you can look up to, someone whom you don’t have to feel like you’re alone or doing this thing called life by yourself. It really is just someone whom you can put your trust in, and it’s really hard to have people like that in your life, so having in Ally is really special.”

“An Ally is basically a mentor that, FYI, pairs you up with. They are less of a mentor and

more of a friend, and a lot of times they become family. They are there to rely on, to call upon whenever you need some advice, or you need someone to hang out with. They are a great form of support system. You can count on them for anything and that’s one of my favorite parts about FYI.”

“An Ally is like a best friend, in a way. They’re always there for you. They take you out, look over you, always check on you. So I think it’s just a great person to have in your life.”

“An Ally is a healthy relationship that you can always lean on. I have truly had a life-changing effect having an Ally, because being a young adult, and a young mom and a single mom who is solo parenting, there are so many things that I’m responsible for that are really scary to face by myself. Just honestly being young, I don’t want to fail, but when you have an Ally, you kind of know that you can’t fail. You have somebody there to lift you up, no matter what and to push you harder when you’re doing great. It’s just the most, what feels like unconditional support.”

“An Ally is somebody that they appoint to you based off of who they think is the best fit for you, and said Ally kind of helps you, it’s like your own personal mentor in a way but serves more as a friend rather than somebody you are supposed to listen to as an adult figure. Having my own Ally has been one of the greatest experiences in my life. We do all sorts of stuff together, and Richard, my Ally, is one of my best friends, I would say, and it’s meant a lot to me to have him around.”

Olsen added that FYI’s youth have achieved many of their goals because of the right support system and caring adult Allies, as these youth have never had the traditional support of parents or family in their lives.

Further information about Fostering Youth Independence and how to support this organization can be found on www.fyifosteryouth.org.

Ed Note: The above information was provided to KHTS by Fostering Youth Independence (FYI).

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