FYSI Outreach Toolkit
The California Community College Chancellor’s Office, Student Financial Assistance Programs
Unit is excited to share this user-friendly, student-focused, Foster Youth Success Initiative
(FYSI) Outreach Education Toolkit. Working closely with FYSI Liaisons, FKCE Coordinators,
Recruitment and Outreach Coordinators, Financial Aid Directors, EOPS Coordinators and
ongoing guidance from San Diego Mesa College students who are former foster youth, we
created the FYSI Outreach Toolkit.
All of the FYSI outreach education materials include our new symbol of the blue heart within the
heart shown above. The color blue was selected to coincide with the Foster Care Awareness
month blue ribbon. The focal point of the graphic is a larger heart wrapped around a smaller
heart symbolizing the importance of wrap-around services and support for youth from foster care
accessing postsecondary education.
Please consider incorporating this new symbol into outreach materials and any other campus and
community information. Go to the link below to download a printable version.
http://extranet.cccco.edu/Divisions/StudentServices/FosterYouthSuccessInitiatives.aspx
“This is the perfect pick up and go tool. Because all the
preparation has been done for you.”
FYSI Liaison
The purpose of this Toolkit is to educate current and former foster youth as well as community
partners about available resources and services community colleges offer to support them in
accessing and successfully completing postsecondary education.
Both the FYSI PowerPoint and Brochure were developed and designed to be used as resource
tools alone or as supplemental outreach education materials.
 Current and potential students
 Colleagues across colleges
 Community partners
These materials were created to inform youth and others what FYSI is and that there’s an
FYSI/Foster Youth Liaison at every community college that they can go to for assistance and
support in becoming a college student.
The Complete FYSI Outreach Toolkit includes:
1. FYSI Brochure
2. FYSI PowerPoint
3. Lapel Pins and Pledge Card: If a student sees someone wearing the lapel pin it is our hope that
they will know it signifies supporting youth from foster care being successful college students.
The Pledge to Current and Former Foster Youth was designed to accompany the pin, requesting
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FYSI Outreach Toolkit
that anyone who wears the pin makes the pledge to supporting current and former foster youth
accessing and successfully completing college.
4. Posters: “Yes YOU Can! Connecting Current and Former Foster Youth to College” Provides
information on how the FYSI / Foster Youth Support Programs can assist students in accessing
resources and services.
5. Door Hangers: “Welcome/Meeting in Progress” designed to express an ‘open door’ to
students in need of speaking with someone, while promoting privacy when a student is
meeting with an individual.
6. The Providing Effective Financial Aid Assistance to Students from Foster Care and
Unaccompanied Homeless Youth an Excerpt of the 2007 FYSI Guide for Financial
Aid Administrators
Using the FYSI PowerPoint and/or FYSI Brochure is a way of ensuring that youth take
advantage of services and support available to them that they may otherwise not know about.
“I wish I would’ve had this when I became a Foster Youth
Liaison. This is a nice starter kit”
The PowerPoint has 12 segments which allow you to utilize any combination of segments or a
segment on its own. The areas addressed are:
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
8)
9)
10)
11)
12)
What is FYSI
What does the FYSI symbol mean
Former foster youth identifiers “Could this be you?”
Who is the FYSI Liaison
What does a FYSI Liaison do
College programs supporting foster youth
California laws that support foster youths
National statistics
California statistics
Community resources
Resources on the web
Informational Contribution
Examples of how the PowerPoint can be used are:
 In a series of 15 – 20 minute presentations
 Select segments integrated into existing outreach presentations
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FYSI Outreach Toolkit
The Providing Effective Financial Aid Assistance to Students from Foster Care and
Unaccompanied Homeless Youth publication is available free in PDF and hardcopy through
Casey Family Programs. Please use the link below to request hardcopies.
http://www.casey.org/Resources/Publications/ProvidingEffectiveFinancialAid.
This guide provides important information for anyone who helps youth from foster care and
unaccompanied homeless youth complete their FAFSA which now has new questions 53-58
pertaining to students in or from foster care and unaccompanied homeless youth. The guide:
 Aims to secure financial aid for students in postsecondary education or training
programs.
 Describes how to respond to new FAFSA questions 53-58 that will determine federal
financial aid status for these students.
 Includes a section on sensitive communications from the student perspective.
Over 15,000 former foster youth are served at California Community Colleges
If you would like to receive additional Pins, Door Hangers, or Posters please contact Cindy Garcia, the
Foster Youth Success Initiative Coordinator (916) 325-8562 or email, cmgarcia@foundationccc.org
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