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Represent gives inspiration and information to teens in foster care while offering staff useful insights into teen concerns.
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Independent Living (67 found)
Note: These stories are from Represent and its sister publication, YCteen, which is written by New York City public high school students.
When a fellow resident ages out into homelessness, Michael resolves to make a plan for himself. (full text)
Xavier racks up $2,100 in credit card debt before deciding to take control of his finances. (full text)
When Aurora enters a foster home she expects her foster mother to cook for her, but soon finds out she's expected to make her own meals. The other girls in the home teach Aurora to cook, and in the process she forms friendships with women her age for the first time. (full text)
Chimore takes a cooking class at a Whole Foods supermarket and learns that cooking healthy is not as hard as it seems. (full text)
Chimore and her dog Prissy have a special bond that's helped Chimore adjust to life after foster care (full text)
Jasmine and Shawn make a college application timeline to help each other meet looming deadlines.
Last time, Jasmine and Shawn worked on breaking bad spending habits. Now that they've started to save, how do they choose a good bank to keep that money safe? (full text)
Worried that she won't be able to keep a roof over her head when she ages out of care, Chimore works three jobs and has a hard time remembering that her work is not her life. (full text)
Last time: Shawn moved his money from a hole in his wall to a bank. Now it’s time to apply to colleges. But will Shawn put the right foot forward and impress the admissions office? (full text)
Jasmine loses her nerve about going to college, partly because of the cost. Shawn reminds her about foster care scholarships and encourages her to believe in herself. (full text)
Last time, Jasmine lectured Shawn about how to keep his job, but can they hold on to their hard-earned paychecks? (full text)
Samantha finally gets her own place in a Supported Independent Living Program (SILP). A few months later, ACS closes SILPs and she has to go back to living with a foster parent. (full text)
Zakkiaya's foster care agency prepares her to age out by teaching her to clothes-shop and helping her set up a bank account, get a summer job, and get a lawyer. (full text)
Chimore wants to have a good credit history because she's about to age out of foster care. Then she finds out that her identity has been stolen and fraudulent credit card accounts opened in her name. (full text)
Xavier describes his long and winding road to a college degree—and how he paid for it.
Amber gets into a special high school where she can earn both a diploma and a two-year college degree, but she has trouble handling the workload.
Mary struggles with emotional problems after she leaves foster care, and is amazed at how long the system's after-effects linger in her life.
Ijeoma found herself on an emotional roller coaster after she left care, and she interviews Gessy Nixon, a former foster youth, about how to deal with that transition in healthy ways.
Christina has no idea what's in store for her once she leaves care, and almost becomes homeless before she manages to achieve a tenuous stability.
Merli is about to age out of foster care, but she is not a citizen and doesn't have a green card, which would enable her to work legally.
Matthew joins the Navy to experience combat and get the usual perks. But mostly, he wants to prove to himself that he can make it through the grueling basic training.
Princess enrolls in cooking school to learn a trade after foster care. Although she is afraid of failing, she sticks with the program.
Marissa doesn't like school but isn't old enough to take her GED. So she decides to enter the Job Corps, where she'll learn a profession and get paid at the same time.
Mary grew up in foster care, and describes how hard work and perseverance enabled her to eventually have the kind of secure life she could once only dream about.
Scott describes taking the first tentative steps of living on his own in a Supervised Independent Living Program (SILP).
Natalie looks at the pros and cons of Supervised Independent Living Programs (SILP), which prepare young people to live on their own by placing them in apartments.
Tanya describes her hope and fears as she prepares to leave her group home for an independent living apartment. She acknowledges her anxieties but she also draws strength from her past successes.
A humorous but realistic quiz to help teens think about how they spend money, find housing, deal with loneliness, manage anger, and other essential skills for living on one's own.
Xavier was still emotionally dependent on the system after he left it. He hadn't learned how to be alone with himself and his experiences. He realizes that being independent is not just getting a job or knowing how to cook: it's also "what you do for yourself on the inside."
The writers interview a graduate student to find out how she gets by on a small budget.
Jeremiyah struggles to get his spending under control before he leaves the foster care system.
Juan describes his first day at an employment training program for foster youth. Asked to remove his earring, Juan wonders if the program is right for him, but several weeks later graduates with pride.
Drummonds, who grew up in foster care and went on to become head of a social services agency, describes his experiences as a "secondhand person" in the system. He gives advice to foster youth on overcoming negative experiences and achieving emotional independence from the past.
Lenny constantly complained about the quality of group home cooking until he had to cook for himself. Now living in his agency's apartment program, his culinary achievements are less than spectacular. He gives tips to foster youth on how to survive in the kitchen.
Angi, tired of living in group and foster homes, finally moves into a supervised apartment program where her agency pays the rent and utilities. She shops, cooks for herself, attends independent living meetings, and learns how to live on her own.
Six months after leaving his group home, Max finds himself doing something he never expected: missing the place.
When Tamecka goes away to college, she begins missing classes and failing exams, and her first inclination is to blame her foster care background. But she tires of making excuses, seeks tutoring and counseling, and achieves academic success. (full text)
Sharif gives advice to teens on how to successfully look for work. He shares tips on seasonal employment opportunities, filling out applications, networking, and handling interview questions. He shows how a positive attitude and persistence helped him land a retail sales position.
Staff in the author’s group home are not preparing teens to be independent.
The college application process can be intimidating; Debra offers some advice that can help.
Rick left foster care at age 21 with "no money, no prospects, no future." He thinks his independent living program could be been much more rigorous, but he also realizes that he was responsible for his dilemma.
Scott describes how he opened a bank account at a young age and saved money while living in foster care.
As Jasmine and Shawn work on college admissions essays, they get the munchies and look for healthy snacks.
Shawn is sick, but a trip to the doctor doesn't help. Jasmine encourages him to go back to the clinic and advocate for himself.
Antwaun interviews former foster youth who are both struggling and living successfully after leaving the system.
Ja'Nelle was babied in foster care—staff did her laundry and cooked for her. Her independent living classes were a joke. She wishes she had been taught the skills she needs to function successfully in the real world. (full text)
Charlene describes how teens can get stuck in dead-end, minimum-wage jobs, and offers advice on how to achieve more.
An independent living specialist gives advice to foster teens on how to rent an apartment. She reviews costs, apartment hunting tips, alternatives to living alone, and rental terms teens should know.
After leaving foster care, Maya is overwhelmed by the prospect of living on her own, financially and emotionally. But she budgets her money, learns to make ends meet, and grows up quickly.
Antwaun gives tips on how to spend wisely and save money after leaving foster care.
Last time, Jasmine and Shawn worked on creating awesome resumes. But how will things go once they're on the job?
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