Teen Programs
Any teen who was in foster care over the age of 13, who is either living in Wake County or in foster care through Wake County, is eligible to participate in our Teen Programs. We incorporate trauma-informed practices in teaching life skills so teens are ready for a successful transition to adulthood. We collaborate with Wake County Human Services on these programs:
LINKS Academy
We host LINKS Academy nights to help foster teens develop the life skills they will need to succeed. LINKS participants build relationships with trusted adults and find support from peers who understand the difficulties of being in foster care. Programming focuses on preparing to enter the workforce, college-readiness, career exposure, mental and physical health, financial management, and more.
Internships
Our Internship Program connects foster youth with individually-tailored, paid internships designed to spark an interest in long-term career goals that will motivate them to finish high school. We fund stipends for $10 per hour for up to 200 hours of work through internships with businesses and non-profits across the Triangle. We help youth access these opportunities for summer employment by handling logistics for the youth through a change in foster placement, sorting out scheduling conflicts and removing transportation barriers.
Academic Mentoring
We match teens who are struggling academically and/or at-risk of dropping out of high school with academic mentors. They meet weekly to help the youth overcome gaps in their educations and envision futures for themselves that motivate them to stay in school.
“Aging out was hard. I really didn’t know what I was going to do. I didn’t have a job, school was hard, I didn’t have a place to go afterwards. I didn’t want to be homeless, I didn’t want to go live with my sister and do stuff I shouldn’t be doing there. It was a stressful situation. Life made it as hard as it could.”
“Aging out was hard. I really didn’t know what I was going to do. I didn’t have a job, school was hard, I didn’t have a place to go afterwards. I didn’t want to be homeless, I didn’t want to go live with my sister and do stuff I shouldn’t be doing there. It was a stressful situation. Life made it as hard as it could.”
Nationally, 36% of youth with a history in foster care experience homelessness.The Hope Center connected this young man with housing and fostered a roommate match so that he can focus on pursuing his career as a personal trainer. We work with our collaborative partners to help our young people find and maintain safe and stable housing as they transition out of foster care.