Success Beyond 18 Initiative is Launched by Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative

Too many young adults across the coun­try leave fos­ter care each year with­out fam­i­lies and the oppor­tu­ni­ties they need to help them suc­ceed. As a result, they are more like­ly than their peers to drop out of school, become par­ents before they are ready, expe­ri­ence home­less­ness, or end up in jail—costly con­se­quences that affect us all.

We can’t wait to act, and we don’t have to. That is why the Annie E. Casey Foun­da­tion has joined the Suc­cess Beyond 18 cam­paign spon­sored by the Jim Casey Youth Oppor­tu­ni­ties Ini­tia­tive. The effort, launched on Capi­tol Hill in May 2013, aims to change the sta­tus quo and give young peo­ple in fos­ter care bet­ter oppor­tu­ni­ties to suc­ceed in fam­i­ly, work and life.

We know the field has made progress in sup­port­ing young peo­ple from fos­ter care, and the time is right to cre­ate a bet­ter path. The cam­paign believes:

• Young peo­ple are not on their own at age 18
• Young peo­ple have a mean­ing­ful voice and say in thi­er future
• Greater account­abil­i­ty leads to more pos­i­tive outcomes

Learn more about the Suc­cess Beyond 18 cam­paign to build a bet­ter path for young peo­ple tran­si­tion­ing from fos­ter care to adulthood.