ExxonMobil Community Summer Jobs Program
JOB DESCRIPTION
Organization Name: CASA Child Advocates of Montgomery
County Location: 412 W. Phillips , S te . 107 . Conroe . TX 77301
Website: CASASpea ks4Kids.com
Mission: The mission of CASA Child Advocates of Montgomery County is to provide and promote court­ appointed volunteer advocacy so that every abused and neglected child can have the opportunity to thrive in a safe, nurturing permanent home.
Title of Internship: Fostering Futures Program Coordinator
Internship Overview
A Fostering Futures Program Coordinator will expand and improve Montgomery County CASA program's ability to provide services to children who are close to aging out of the state foster care system by providing life skills training, including cooking classes, apartment hunting skills, how to buy a car, open and maintain a banking account, and interview for a job. This project will focus on children who are 14-18 years of age and currently in the foster care system as the victim of child abuse .
For youth coming out of foster care, consider this : the State took these children into care. These children are the victims . They have been offered inadequate resources and change foster homes an average of every six months. They have lost all social contacts and support . These children are identified as a high risk population.
When children age out of the foster care system at age 18, many are instantly homeless. They are at a greater risk of becoming the victim of more crime, hunger, drugs, and early, unwanted pregnancy than any other population . A March 2010 HUD study concluded that homelessness in the Houston area can cost taxpayers as much as $27 , 084 per year for an individual. This project's goal is to provide these young people the tools they need to become self-sustaining and successful, productive adults. To accomplish this , we must establish and provide an available support structure for these children when they age out of the foster care system.
This position will help coordinate vital life skills training and college visitation trips for these young people to expose them to the skills and opportunities they will need to become successful adults.

Core Responsibilities
The Fostering Futures Program Coordinator will focus researching the needs and recruiting the community resources necessary to provide the targeted youth the vital life skills that they will need when they are aged out of the foster care system . The responsibilities are as follows :

Interview select CASA Advocates to build a current viable list of the life skill training that the targeted children feel they need. Get input from selected high school guidance counselors and local C.P.S. P.A.L.S. (Preparation for Adult Living) Coordinator for list.

Assist with, coordinate, develop, and implement trainings, including, securing facilities, required equipment, and instructors for life skills training programs. Life skill trainings should include: banking, buying a car, cooking, laundry, job interviewing skills, and how to dress for a job. Promote these opportunities with CASA Advocates to ensure attendance.

Coordinate four trips to local colleges and universities to provide an opportunity for the targeted children to learn and understand how they can complete a secondary education. (In the state of Texas, full college scholarships are provided to victims of child abuse who are placed in the foster care system, yet less than 5% of aged-out young people take advantage of this opportunity.)

Work with local apartment complex management and police department, coordinate a minimum of three apartment hunting trips designed to teach children how to search for an apartment, what questions to ask, and what to look for in a clean, safe apartment.

Develop and implement a process for measuring outcomes of the Fostering Futures program.
Catalog all measurements and successes, engage in interviews with young people aged out of the foster care system and who have taken part of the Fostering Futures program training.
Document all processes, interview notes, and outcomes, including quotes from youth about their experience. Develop a manual to be used to sustain a good outcome measurement program.
Job Dimensions/Other Requirements
This requirements of this position are designed to be completed d uring the workday of a 40-hour week .
Community Impact/Outcomes & Deliverables
Having survived abuse, neglect, and abandonment by their families and having survived years within the State foster care system, these youth aging out of the foster care system are at high risk to end up homeless, on drugs, pregnant, and/or in prison. According to a study released in
November 2015 week by Texas Department of Family Protective Service, students in foster care have a dropout rate of 32% compared to 8% of the general population. One out of four will be incarcerated in the first 2 years after leaving the system, only one out of two will be employed at age 24, and 71% of the girls will be pregnant by the age of 21. Less than 2% will graduate college compared to 28% of non-foster care youth.

Children with a CASA Advocate are half as likely to spend time in long-term foster care (over 3 years) than other foster children.
This position will help dramatically affect the current outcomes of youth aging out of the foster care system by showing them that there are alternatives and that they do not have to be part of the horrific statistics plaguing this population.
Student Qualities/Experiences Desired/Qualifications and Requirements
Student should be driven and have compassion for teenagers who deserve someone to care about them.
Student should be able to or have:
• Complete tasks within a prescribed timeframe
• Effective oral and written communication skills
• Have had some leadership experience
Qualifications required :
• In addition to the CSJP requirements, students must be able to maintain confidentiality about the individual students they will encounter .
• Pass a standard CPS background check
Learning Objectives/Educational Benefits
Student will learn:
• Working with adult professionals in a professional setting
• Communication skills, time management skills, and project management skills
• Planning and organization
Student will gain a great understanding of the impact of child abuse, education, and poverty on our local and global society . They will experience the operations of a non profit human services organization, including management, program delivery, and fundraising.
The intern selected for this position will gain a true professional experience providing for a personal growth experience that includes building confidence by working and leading others.
How to Apply
Applicants can learn about the position through our website at www.casaspeaks4kids.com, and we will make the internship available on the websites known to have high traffic from local college students; internships.com, idealist .
org, and experience.com. We will post the position on the websites of local universities as well.
Final Thoughts
We were honored to have an Exxon Mobil Intern last summer. Stephanie John helped us analyze our database and positioned us to be able to launch a new Planning Giving initiative December 2015.
Without exaggeration, her work with us was transformational.

We believe that the work plan we have for an internship in the summer of 2016 will be equally as significant. This position will be able to forever-change the lives of young people who have already experienced too many hardships through no fault of their own.
We sincerely appreciate your consideration .