A College with Care gift directly impacts youth like Ruben. In 2021, Ruben joined UFC’s Scholars program. Ruben faced academic challenges due to instability and lack of guidance, intensified by virtual learning. With help from his UFC counselor and grandma, Ruben was connected with an in-person tutor. Ruben now meets with his tutor twice weekly, …
This year, our 3rd annual Foster the Conversation event kicked off Foster Care Awareness Month in partnership with the La La Land Foundation and the La La Land Kind Cafe in Santa Monica. The night was buzzing with love and support from friends, donors, and partners. This year’s panel included a UFC alumnus: Mikol, two …
This month, our Pathways clinical team launched new monthly workshops! We wanted to hear from our residents to tailor these workshops to their hobbies and interests, so we asked them. Our foster youth shared they wanted to get movin’ (walking, hiking, gym), engage in traditional groups (anxiety management, anger management, men/women’s groups) and creative arts groups (painting, …
A College with Care gift supports youth like Melissa. Coming from a low-income household, the prospect of college seemed unattainable. UFC helped her family navigate the complexities of financial aid and provided Melissa with a dorm kit to ensure she had essentials such as groceries, books, and supplies.
With support and guidance from UFC, Melissa negotiated …
On Saturday April 13, we held our annual College and Career Day at Cal State Northridge. Our youth had the opportunity to hear from professionals from various industries including, Legal, Food and Entertainment. Our panelist professionals shared about the journey that led to their careers and gave our youth encouragement and advice about their …
This month, our middle and high school students are gearing up for UFC’s annual Career Day in April. In preparation for this event, students are utilizing new virtual reality technology, which allows the kids to interact with real professionals from various industries. Youth have the unique opportunity to meet professionals, ask questions, engage in dialogue, …
This month, our education team honored Black History Month by taking our middle and high school scholars to the ‘Black College Expo’ at the LA Convention Center. Our youth got to explore the possibility of attending Historically Black Colleges and Universities and speak with representatives from many institutions. This experience allowed our scholars to envision themselves …
Last year, we relaunched our volunteer program after a long hiatus due to COVID-19. A total of 55 volunteers came back strong, participating in events such as College and Career Day, Next Gen Trivia, Thanksgiving Dinner, holiday gift-wrapping session, Education and Pathways holiday parties, and more. Our fabulous volunteers helped wherever they were needed!
Each one …
Last month, we held a Thanksgiving celebration for our Pathways residents at one of our housing sites. Staff, NextGen Board members, and our youth came together to connect, laugh, and share a meal. Together, we celebrated friendship, cherished our community, and reflected on the meaning of gratitude.
Recently, our education teams held a “4 Systems of Higher Education” workshop for the high school youth. Vital information regarding how to differentiate between the different types of college options available in California and beyond was paired with important exercises on how to see which college fits each of our youths’ situations best—reiterating that there …