In late August, Forbes published an article titled “Mentorship Helps Foster Youth Find Stability in School,” which featured an interview with Erica Reid, Senior Director of Chapter Success at Friends of the Children – National. The article focuses on the lack of stability that many youth who experience foster care can feel, and how mentoring can be a positive and consistent support for them.

Erica was one of just a few experts cited in the article, and she shared how the Friends of the Children mentoring model works, introducing youth to long-term professional mentors for 12+ years, no matter what. She also highlighted several long-term outcomes for youth in our program: 83% of youth earn their high school diploma or GED; and 92% of youth go on to post-secondary education, the workforce, or service in the military.

“Consistency is the intervention,” said Erica in the piece. “When a child has one adult who shows up again and again, despite everything else changing, that’s when trust is built. That’s when children begin to believe that success is possible.”

Read the complete article by clicking here.