JUST IN TIME HELPS FOSTER YOUTHS TRANSITIONING TO ADULTHOOD

Part 2 in our series on foster youth programs.  Read Part 1 here.

By Tasha Matthews

November 25, 2015 (San Diego)--Just in Time (JIT) is an organization that helps foster youth receive necessary resources in finance, education, basic needs, and life skills.  Just in Time for foster youth was a part of the Child Abuse Prevention Foundation in 2003 (now known as Promises2Kids).  Since then, Just in Time has vastly expanded, dedicated to helping foster youths through their early adult years. Just in Time has eight programs and is growing more along the way:

• Basic Needs helps provide for emergency funding when needed for the youth.
• Financial Fitness brings in elements of financial literacy and financial security, learning about budgets, saving, investments and more.
• My First Home allows for volunteers to furnish the youth’s apartment for free.
• Leap Council is a group of foster youths who serve as ambassadors and story tellers, sharing their voices wherever they go.
• College Bound is a program that helps foster youth with dorm supplies, a laptop, and a printer for the start of their college careers.
• Career Horizons is a network relationship building opportunity for foster young women to thrive in their professional life.
• Bridges to Success is the network relationship building opportunity for foster young men.
• Changing Lanes is a way for foster youth to obtain their permit and then  driver’s license, all the while learn the fundamentals of driving.

 I have been involved in Just in Time since my senior year of high school and what I enjoy most of all is establishing lasting relationships with the people, both staff and volunteers of Just in a Time. They really are so much like an extended family in the sense that they care for the youth and there well being. 

The first program I participated in was College Bound and felt the love of volunteers in the most fulfilling way. I now participate in Financial Fitness and just recently got my driver’s permit thanks to Changing Lanes.

On behalf of East County Magazine, I interviewed Don Wellis, Executive Director of Just in Time,  as well as James Monroe, Changing Lanes Coordinator at Just in Time, and Trish Horton, Volunteer Coordinator and they shared ideas of what Just in Time is all about.

1. What got you involved in Just in Time for Foster Youth?

 Don Wellis: I used to work at Channel 10 news, and had mentored someone who went into foster care system and then met a woman named Jennette, knew the challenges and started marketing, went from the Board to Executive Director of Just in Time.

 James Monroe: I first got involved as participant of Financial Fitness, College Bound, my first home and when I graduated in December last year I was offered a job to work in Just in Time.

Trish Horton: I was a professional life coach, coaching young women and wanted to give back to the community and to young people who were at the powerful, defining moment in their life and help them learn to better trust themselves and so I joined Career Horizons,  Career Horizons is a ten month cohort program of about 20 foster youth and coaches for the community; it's all about resume building, practicing interviews, life and wellness, when your spending time providing young women to connect with a community of supporting, knowledgeable women. They meet with the volunteer and figure out what kind of career they want. It's all about life and relationship.

2. What is the overall mission statement of JIT?

DW: JIT mobilizes the community to help transitioning foster youth to become self sufficient and achieve a sense of well being

JM: It's youth first, we are focus on the participant who receive the services that they need and ensure  that become confident, capable, connected

TH: Let's focus on connection: so connecting transitioning foster youth to a community of support to allow them to be more self sufficient survival to thriving let them become capable confident and connected because they don't have that conditional support from coming out of the system. It's like they have an extended family for the foster youth, Lots of changes and tough times for foster youth, Help from the Heart.

3. What legacy would you like to build here or what goals do you have for JIT?

DW: Every foster youth would have community of support that they can rely on and a strong foundation that exist as long as necessary to be capable, confident, and connected.

JM: My goal is to use my talents and strengths to benefit the demographic that we have and I want to be a team player and the legacy I have making sure things happen for the goals we have.

TH: Volunteer engagement is all about providing connections for the youth. We find volunteers that have the skills and resources to offer the youth relationship that help them feel more connected to people and that enable them to create the changes in their life that they desire. In terms of the goals,, it's to create an authentic, organic environment as the trust builds naturally over time. From the volunteer side, we want to give them an opportunity to connect and support the youth,, devoting their skills to more youth. Also with the organization, they enable the organization and save us money so we can spend it on the youth.

4. What is the most memorable experience you've had at JIT?

DW: It's hard to say and hard to pick one. It was at one our First Walk the Talk event and just seeing all the youth who were there and how they were interacting with the people who were there; I have known foster youth who hide they were foster youth in the shadows and under the radar and to see them in a place of pride and being able to talk to anybody despite status and job is a very satisfying and memorable.

JM: Instances that are memorable are when we are able to make a difference in someone's life and seeing the gratitude from the service that the youth receive

TH: When I was a volunteer in the Career Horizons program, developed the most incredible relationship with a youth. That person was going through incredible life changes and it was amazing because I saw in that person they were knowing their own self and had the courage through the challenges to change their life. I was happy to be in their presence and to open up in their life

5. What keeps you inspired to do the work you do?

DW: Young people we work with seeing success and  confident that build connections watching them to grow into people of great values and I get to see that everyday, it's an everyday inspiration.

JM: Being in foster care myself, I see a big need for support and a community so what inspires me is seeing people coming up in the same shoes and wanting to make a difference in their own life.

TH: The people. The youth who I believe are incredible. The staff who half are former foster youth and its really rewarding to work with them. We have a young staff who are passionate and amazing, its incredible how devoted the volunteers are. These people inspire me. They go the beyond for the benefit of another human being.

6. Where do you see JIT ten years from now?

DW: Hope JIT is still growing and involving not necessarily serving a whole bunch more youth but growing to get smarter solving complicated problems what's needed for youth talking about get enough support to make next project.

JM: I see Just in Time expanding grow as an org and provide the services that we have to more foster youth. I think we'll have an office in North County to better serve more foster youth in San Diego.

TH: I see us more integrated with other organizations in the community and to collaborate with more of what other services are offering. Connecting those resources outside of JIT. It seems we are going to develop as an organization as a collaborative development and partnership of building solution and gathering ideas together. The opportunity to work side by side with volunteers and to have references to get the kind of jobs they want and skills they would have acquired. More youth would be aware of what we have to offer and find us. We hope to communicate in broader and deeper way, and developing deeper relationship with the youth and volunteers. We could be more and more responsive to the needs of the youth. What are those critical areas to have the most impact with collaborating with other orgs and there won't be much redundancy with different organizations focusing on the same ideas.

7. How can community members support JIT?

DW: Well, what we give to youth that we work with resources they need and relationship help future, Community can do that through donation, investment and support programs through relationships youth need from volunteers providing and becoming the community of support so that they have someone to turn to.

JM: If anyone is looking to volunteer or donate, I think being able to build a relationship with those they are trying to help, I think that's what I would recommend.

TH: Bringing their hearts, minds, talents, and skills to the organization and to the youth we serve in order to help the youth in our community become more confident capable and connected. Of course donations help too. For more information about Just in Time, an organization well worth your support, visit their website online at http://jitfosteryouth.org/