Inspiring Futures

Our mission is to empower and uplift youth and young adults to persist in and graduate from high school and post-secondary programs, focusing specifically on youth with current or past involvement in the child welfare, homeless, and juvenile justice systems. Our Values are: Integrity, respect, social justice, and flexibility Inspiring Futures strives to improve high school and college graduation rates for child welfare and juvenile justice involved youth by offering free mental health therapy, educational services, and by training support systems. The program emerged from surveys and interviews with 550 college students and graduates with foster care involvement about their educational journeys. Inspiring Futures believes that when youth with system involvement have a network of support that is flexible and community-based, they are more likely to succeed academically, contributing to better life outcomes. The first step of participation is for the youth to complete a needs assessment which helps determine their goals and service plan. They are paired with a mental health therapist and/or educational specialist who assist them in working towards their goals. These services can continue until completion of a bachelor’s degree. Inspiring Futures takes a holistic approach, and has three core areas of programming-Counseling for educational persistence -Individualized mental health services -Training for caregivers and program personnel