skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Coming of Age: Preparing Ohio's Older Foster Youth for Life

play audio
Play

Tuesday, June 4, 2013   

COLUMBUS, Ohio - The years spent coming of age are a critical time in a youth's life, especially for those who must face this time without the support of a stable home environment. In Ohio, the "Connecting the Dots" initiative is helping teenagers and young adults who have been in foster care make a successful transition into adulthood.

Nearly 1300 youth age out of foster care every year, but according to the director of the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, Michael Colbert, many of them just go into another door in the system.

"They either go into a door of incarceration, a door of poverty or a door of despair," he declared. "We are trying to change that. We want those young people to go into college or we want 'em to go into a job, but in order for that to happen, we have to prepare them for life, just like we do our own kids, because they are our kids."

Connecting the Dots partners with Big Brothers Big Sisters to mentor older foster youth and prepare them for work, education and independent living. Meanwhile, Colbert said, they are also focused on finding a family for every child still in care. Through a partnership with the Dave Thomas Foundation, 35 specialized recruiters are working throughout the state with the sole mission of finding adoptive families for older children in foster care.

Colbert said the support of state leaders, including Governor John Kasich, has helped to make these initiatives possible, along with guidance from Ohio's Youth Advisory Board.

Jennifer Konrath is among those on that board, which advises leaders on ways to improve the foster care system. She grew up in foster care and will graduate this year, and said she's grateful to the resources available that have guided her on her path.

"As foster youth, we don't have our parents to teach us how to find a job, what to wear, who to talk to for different things like housing or just everyday needs," Konrath said. "And it's hard as a foster youth because we didn't grow up with having a person to rely on for that."

Ohio currently has close to 12,000 children in foster care.



get more stories like this via email

more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021