Walden was awarded $61,000 from the Andrus Family Fund on Sept. 25, 2011. The grant funding will be used to implement a framework to help foster youth transition from foster care to independent living. The Transitions Framework, developed by William Bridges, provides conceptual tools to manage life’s changes. These strategies are especially useful for Walden’s population of “hard-to-place” pre- and post-emancipating foster youth, ages 15 ½ - 25, who have severe non-diagnosed behavioral issues or who among the most at-risk children who are physically disabled, developmentally delayed, autistic and who have special health care needs.
Walden’s innovative implementation of the Transitions Framework through two previous grant cycles (2004, 2009), served as a basis for Walden’s third and final round for funding. The framework, which helps identify the psychological stages as we transition from a significant change in our life and move toward a new beginning, is useful for anyone. For foster youth who are forced to be completely independent at the age of 18, change can be overwhelming. Walden’s Teen Service Coordinators work include music, interactive games, art and journaling as proactive means to ease through this transition. The framework and activities also helps the Coordinators communicate the program’s key elements: education, employment, housing, health, connections and financial literacy.
For more information about the Transitions Framework, visit: transitionsandsocialchange.org.
For more information about Walden Family Services, visit: waldenfamily.org.
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