The Teen Project partners with First Star to help abused kids. First Star was founded in 1999 as a national 501(c)(3) public charity dedicated to improving life for child victims of abuse and neglect. First Star operates on-campus Academies for high school age youth at universities, the goal being to encourage and enable them to go to college after high school.

First Star's leadership firmly believes in the primacy of children's basic interests and rights. An emphasis on best practices and better outcomes benefits children in child protective services, dependency courts and foster care systems across the U.S. and plants the seeds for long-term change in the way our society treats its children.

The Teen Project National Mentoring for Grassroots Organizations

Our Founder provides one on one and group mentoring to young grassroots organizations all over the nation. We do not charge for this service. Consistent with our Lauri's vision, we never take money that could ultimately assist a youth in need.

We host a monthly mentoring call and share our methodology, business plan, treatment plan and anything else that will help a new organization to get on their feet. Each month we host a special guest that provides education to the team in the areas of grant writing, fundraising, board development and more.

The national mentoring team works together to serve youth in need. Our goal is to have Ambassadors in every state by the end of 2012.

Through our coalition, our online database and our TEXT to SHELTER service, we can ensure that each and every youth is served. Our Ambassadors team is as follows:

ARKANSAS, MISSOURI, OKLAHOMA, KANSAS

Saving Grace

CALIFORNIA

Movin' on Up

Home for Good Ministries

Restoration Ranch - Compassion Arise

Purposely Chosen, Inc.

Lifeline Ministries

Youth Hope

Helping Hands, Inc.

FLORIDA

Tamiqa's House

Tampa Underground

GEORGIA

Linda Godwin - Program in Development

Family Fundamentals Inc

Vicki Kowalchick - Program in development

ILLINOIS

Rahab's Palace NFP

LOUISIANA

www.thepath4youth.org

MARYLAND

Jacqueline Davidson - Program in development

MICHIGAN

BridgeBuilders Ministries

Project Lighthouse

NEVADA

Nevada Youth Empowerment Project

Promising Futures

NORTH CAROLINA

Kesha's House of Hope

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

Restoration Ranch

TEXAS

Program in Development - Suzy Eisenberg

WISCONSIN

SOS - Save Our Siblings

Program in Development - Suzy Eisenberg

VIRGINIA

Pray Outreach

HOW ARE OUR KIDS DOING?

In California, an estimated 20,000 to 25,000 youth are homeless and living on the streets.

A National study reported that more than 1 in 5 youth who arrived at shelters came directly from foster care.

More than 1 in 4 had been in foster care in the previous year (National Association of Social Workers).

Studies across the nation indicate that between 24 and 50% of former foster care/probation youth become homeless within 18 months of leaving the system (California Department of Social Services).

25% of those in prison were once in foster care.

Studies of California’s former foster youth found that:

• 65% emancipate without a place to live.
• Less than 3% go to college.
• 51% are unemployed.
• Emancipated females are 4 times more likely to receive public assistance than the general population.
• In any given year, foster children comprise less than 0.3% of the state’s population, and yet 40% of persons living in homeless shelters are former foster children.

EDUCATION:

• 70% of 17 year-olds in foster care express a desire to go to college.
• 54% will finish high school • 2% will earn a college degree.

Young people (ages 6-21) are 23% of the population but 100% of the future.