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Get Connected
If you want to get connected in the community you have come to the right
place. This page contains information on youth programs and services, which are
aimed at providing information that will help young people who are seeking
advice in any areas imagined.
This page was designed to answer questions you may have, ranging from stress
from exams to sexual health, whilst others have answers on literally; this page
will cover anything you ask.
The Get Connected Page can be viewed as a sort of Community Information
Chest that caters to the needs of Young Americans.
Cool JOBS!
Texas Job Web Sites
Other Job Web Sites
U.S. Military
Tips for Finding Jobs
Get Connected
Resources
fyi3.com
- A partnership between FosterClub.com and the Jim Casey Youth Opportunities
Initiative. The web site provides foster youth ages 14 to 23 opportunities to
become involved, informed and independent in their transitioning journey
towards adulthood. Includes various links for diversity resouces and issues.
United
States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce - under "Programs
and Initiatives" offers programs and funding for entrepreneurs, training,
networking, lists Hispanic vendors, and more.
Hispanic
SMB - offers information and resources for entrepreneurs,
forums for asking questions on starting and running a business, listings of
affiliated businesses, and more. Requires free registration.
African American Resources
Get Smart
Education
Help
with Education | College Research & Prep| Roommates| Financial Help For
Former Texas Foster| Youth Financial Aid, Student Loans, & Scholarships|
Diversity Education Resources
Help with Education
- How-to-study.com - suggestions on
subjects like how to take notes in class, developing good listening
skills, strategies for taking tests, and more
College Research and Prep
SAT and ACT related
Roommate Finding Services
Roommate Issues
Financial Help for Former Texas Foster Youth
- College
Tuition and Fee Waiver - Youths who are in Texas CPS substitute care on or
after their 18th birthday, or who obtain their high school diploma or its
equivalent while they are in foster or other residential care, may attend
state supported vocational schools, colleges, and universities with
tuition and fees waived. Youths who are adopted from foster care or who
are eligible for adoption at age 14 or older may also be eligible for the
waiver. This legislation was enacted in 1993, with revisions made in 1997.
More
on benefits and financial assistance
- Frequently
Asked Questions by Parents about College Tuition and Fee Exemption for
Foster Youth
- Education
and Training Voucher program - Help with college expenses for youth
who are in or age out of foster care or who are adopted from foster care
after turning 16 years old
- Texas Public
Univesities, Colleges, Community Colleges, and Technical Colleges covered
by College Tuition and Fee Exemption
- The
Texas Tech University PEGASUS Program works with first
generation college students. PEGASUS sponsors a program called Hope Chest
for Foster Care Graduates.
- Texas
State University-San Marcos offers resources through its Foster Care Alumni
program.
- Texas
Higher Education Coordinating Board
- Going to College,
from the Teen Resource Center, Office of the Attorney General of Texas
- Harvard
University
has announced that from now on undergraduate students from low-income
families will pay no tuition. The university recently announced that from
now on undergraduate students from low-income families can go to Harvard
for free ... no tuition and no student loans! In addition, Harvard
announces reduced fees for students from families with incomes between
$60,000 and $80,000. To find out more about Harvard offering free tuition
for families making less than $60,000 a year visit Harvard's
financial aid web site or call the school's financial aid office at
(617) 495-1581
- National Foster Parent
Association Scholarship Information
- Orphan Foundation of America
Scholarship Information
- Other
Scholarship Information
Financial Aid, Student Loans, and Scholarships
Texas Workforce
Commission Youth Information and Services - includes financial aid and
scholarships
The Gary Job Corps in San Marcos can educate
and house up to 1,900 youth between the ages of 16 and 24 years old at any given
time. Their program can be entered into by any qualified youth (16 to 24 years
old) at no cost. They currently have an online high school, a TEA Certified
Texas High School and top the list of amount of GEDs earned in Texas. They also
also offer the students the opportunity to earn their driver's license. They
have 27 separate Vocational Trades for our students to choose from.
Federal Student Aid Commission
(800) 4-FED-AID
FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student
Aid)
Paying for College
- general information web site by Public Broadcasting System
Student Loans
Texas
Education Agency
Mapping
Your Future is a national collaborative, public-service
project of the financial aid industry - bringing together the expertise of the
industry to provide free college, career, financial aid, and financial literacy
services for students, families, and schools.
Scholarship Search Engines
Diversity/Education Resources
HUNGRY Habits Health
Health
Care & Texas Foster Youth| Finding Health Care Services| General Health
Information| Dating Violence| Safety State Of Texas for Youth Adults and Their
Children- Insurance.
Cooking
- All About Food Cooking, Recipes,
Canning, Definitions - information from the U.S.
Department of Agriculture. Topics include tips on healthy cooking, using
spices, eating healthy, and more.
- Cook's
Thesaurus
- a cooking encyclopedia that covers thousands of
ingredients and kitchen tools. Entries include pictures,
descriptions, synonyms, pronunciations, and suggested substitutions
- Produce
Oasis - one stop source for information about selecting,
preparing, and using fresh fruits and vegetables.
Food Banks
Grocery Shopping
Manners and Etiquette
Nutrition
- Consumer Advice and Publications
on Food Safety, Nutrition, and Cosmetics - information
from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
- Consumer Nutrition and Health
Information - information from the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration.
- SmallStep.gov - learn more about
eating better and living a healthier lifestyle from the U.S. Department of
Health and Humans Services.
- Shape
Up America! Healthy Weight for Life - Non-profit
organization committed to raising awareness of obesity as a health issue.
- Evaluating Weight Control
Programs - list of resources from the U.S. Department
of Agriculture
- Vitamin and Mineral Supplement
Fact Sheets - information from the National Institutes
of Health
- 4 Girls - Covers body,
fitness, nutrition, illness, disability, mind, relationships, safety, and
your future
POLITICAL ACTION
Political Process/ Legal
- Texas Foster Youth Justice
Project - Free confidential calls - 1-877-313-3688
(toll-free number). To provide information, advice and possible
representation to current and former foster youth on legal questions or
problems, including the rights of foster youth.
- "Influencing Public Policy
in Your State" A Guide for Youth in Care - Produced by the Maine Youth Leadership
Advisory Team, this pamphlet demystifies the political process and
encourages those who live in foster families, group homes, residential
treatment settings, transitional living programs, correctional facilities,
or on the streets to educate politicians. It also includes information
about sibling visitation, higher ed tuition waiver including extending the
age for college students to receive a housing allowance, streamlining the
system for obtaining a driver’s license, increasing the foster parent
payment rate, creating more job training programs, and work opportunities.
- www.texaslawhelp.org
- Free civil legal help to include name changes and protective order
applications
- Rock the Vote
- Rock the Vote engages youth in the political process by incorporating
the entertainment community and youth culture into its activities. From
actors to musicians, comedians to athletes, Rock the Vote harnesses
cutting-edge trends and pop culture to make political participation cool.
Rock the Vote mobilizes young people to create positive social and
political change in their lives and communities.
- How to Vote and Register -
From the U.S. Congress
- National Center for Youth Law
- fights in court on behalf of low-income children and promotes programs,
laws, and public policies that serve their best interests.
- Youth
Activitism Project - a non-partisan organization to
encourage young people to speak up and pursue lasting solutions to
problems they care deeply about.
- LawHelp.org
- helps low and moderate income people find free legal aid programs in
their communities, and answers to questions about their legal rights.
- Low-cost Legal Help -
information from the Texas Access to Justice Commission and the Texas
Equal Access to Justice Foundation
- Low-cost
Legal Help - information from the State Bar
Association.
Networking
- Foster
Club - Foster Club is a national network. Its mission
is to provide foster children with a web site that allows them to
communicate with each other and provide them with education, motivation,
and benefits that the foster care system does not usually provide.
- fyi3.com
- A partnership between FosterClub.com and the Jim Casey Youth
Opportunities Initiative. The web site provides foster youth ages 14 to 23
opportunities to become involved, informed and independent in their transitioning
journey towards adulthood.
- Blunt
Radio - Blunt Youth Radio Project is a weekly call-in
talk show run by high school students.
NOBLE FUN
List
- Books and Booklets from
Youth Communication -
Award winning books, booklets, and magazines about child welfare topics
and general youth development topics. All high-quality stories. All
written by teens. All proceeds from sales go into furthering their
nonprofit training and publishing programs for teens.
- Somebody's Someone
- A memoir that chronicles the life of an amazingly resilient young girl,
who is caught in the foster care system.
- The Original Foster Care
Survival Guide - This was written by a teenager
desperatley searching for someone to be lead out of foster care and into a
successful future. This book is a
powerful tool for transitioning to successful adulthood. Author personally
tested and validated every concept presented.
- On Their Own: What Happens
to Kids When They Age Out of the Foster Care System -
Written by Martha Shirk, a former reporter for the St. Louis
Post-Dispatch, and Gary Stangler, executive director of the Jim Casey
Youth Opportunities Initiative. puts a human face on a largely invisible
population. Shirk and Stangler tell the story through the lives of ten
children who did not have a safety net once they were out of foster care
but relied on survival skills. With a foreword by former President Jimmy
Carter, the book also offers solutions, especially about education, health
care, and employment.
- I Can Do It: A
Micropedia of Living on Your Own by Marian Latzko - Covers Budgeting/Finance,
Roommates/Renting, Laundry/Cleaning, Eating Right, and much more. At BarnesandNoble.com
and Amazon.com
- Chicken Soup for
the Soul Series
- Chicken Soup for the
Preteen Soul - 101 Stories of Changes, Choices at Amazon.com
and BarnesandNoble.com
- Chicken Soup for the
Preteen Soul 2: Stories About
Taking Charge, Making a Difference and Moving Through the Preteen Years
for Kids Ages 9-13 at BarnesandNoble.com
and Amazon.com
- Chicken Soup for the
Teenage Soul: The Real Deal, Challenges at Amazon.com
and BarnesandNoble.com
- Chicken Soup for the
Teenage Soul: The Real Deal Friends at BarnesandNoble.com
and Amazon.com
- Chicken Soup for the
Teenage Soul: The Real Deal School at Amazon.com
and BarnesandNoble.com
- Chicken Soup for the
Teenage Soul 2: 101 stories of Life, Love and Learning at BarnesandNoble.com
and Amazon.com
- Chicken Soup for the
Teenage Soul 3: More Stories of Life, Love and Learning at Amazon.com
and BarnesandNoble.com
- Chicken Soup for the
Teenage Soul 4: More Stories of Life, Love and Learning at BarnesandNoble.com
and Amazon.com
- Chicken Soup for the
Teenage Soul Journal at Amazon.com
and BarnesandNoble.com
- Chicken Soup for the
Teenage Soul Letters: Letters of Life, Love and Learning at BarnesandNoble.com
and Amazon.com
- Chicken Soup for the
Teenage Soul on Love & Friendship at Amazon.com
and BarnesandNoble.com
- Chicken Soup for the
Teenage Soul on Tough Stuff: Stories of Tough Times and Lessons Learned at BarnesandNoble.com
and Amazon.com
- Chicken Soup for the
Girl's Soul: Real Stories by Real Girls about Real Stuff at Amazon.com
and BarnesandNoble.com
- Chicken Soup for the
Christian Teenage Soul: Stories of Faith, Love, Inspiration and Hope at BarnesandNoble.com
and Amazon.com
- Chicken Soup for the
College Soul: Inspiring and Humorous Stories for College Students
at Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com
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