How to Support Children Who Age Out (feat. Nicole Davis, Operation: Achieve Independence)
For many young adults, turning 18 is an exciting milestone—a step toward independence while still having the support of family. But for children in foster care, this birthday marks the date you age out of the system.
Sometimes, these individuals don’t feel fully prepared to navigate the adult world. Often, an 18-year-old aging out of foster care has to face life decisions most people wouldn’t expect to tackle until their mid-20s. It’s a daunting situation that can feel impossible to face alone, and our latest guest is here to shed light on this challenging issue.
Nicole Davis is the Executive Director of Operation: Achieve Independence (OAI). OAI focuses on supporting youth aging out of foster care by providing mentoring, life skills training, education, and career preparation.
In this episode, Nicole shares the important role education plays in breaking cycles of generational trauma, why the challenges of aging out will look different for every child, how we can best support young adults who are about to age out, and much more.
You can also find this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and more.
Key Takeaways
- Children need someone to call on for help after they age out. Sometimes, little is done to prepare children in foster care for adulthood as they approach the age of 18. While there are many resources and benefits that these young adults can take advantage of to set themselves up for success, they need help to know how to access them.
- Accessing education can play a key role in breaking generational cycles. Education can be life-changing for a young adult who is aging out of foster care! These individuals may be the first in their families to pursue additional education. Many people don’t know about the State College Tuition Waiver offered by Texas—but this state law exempts or waives payment of tuition and fees at state supported colleges or universities for children who were involved in our state’s foster care system.
- If you want to support young adults who are aging out, you can join hands with others who are working in this space. The needs in Houston’s foster care system are complex and there are many issues to address both upstream and downstream. You don’t have to set out alone and do everything from scratch to make a difference—you can collaborate with organizations, churches, and individuals who are already striving to help former foster youth thrive through education, mentoring, life skills building, and more.
Resources
Meet the Guest
Nicole Davis is the Executive Director of Operation: Achieve Independence (OAI). OAI focuses on supporting youth aging out of foster care by providing mentoring, life skills training, education, and career preparation. Nicole has 10 years of nonprofit experience with more than half of that time spent in organizations serving young adults aging out of the foster care system in Texas. Her expertise lies in program development, volunteer coordination, and fundraising. When Nicole is not working, you can find her hiking, camping, or doing yoga.
