There is no bridge from a group home to independent living and young people that have aged out of foster care often enter adulthood without the emotional support or financial safety-net of family. As a mentor, you can help ensure these vulnerable young people are not left to navigate adulthood alone.
Your caring, patient guidance and friendship can ease the heavy burden of self-sufficiency for young adults that have often missed out on critical growth and development opportunities provided by a stable childhood. Mentors are a crucial component of Foster Your Future’s unique approach of pairing mentorship with financial assistance and incentives to ensure that mentees are stable and have some resources to put learning into action.
MATCHING PROCESS
Our match process strongly considers the residential location of both mentor and mentee (mentees are in independent living situations throughout the Greater Phoenix Metropolitan Area), as well as the distance a mentor indicates they are willing to drive. Further, we consider personal and professional interests of both mentor and mentee, and young adult goals and preferences.
VIRTUAL VS IN-PERSON COMMUNICATION
At least one connection per month should be in person. FYF will reimburse mentor for one monthly in person meet-up, as well as mileage reimbursement.
YOUR ROLE AS A MENTOR
We rely on mentors to help assess changing needs and goals of the young person, suggest ways that FYF can encourage and support their efforts, and provide regular communication back the FYF team on your mentee’s efforts and progress.
YOUR IMPACT
"When I was connected with Foster Your Future back in June 2022, I was homeless living in my car with no savings, maxed out credit cards, and just barely starting another job. Due to the generosity of the program and a wonderful mentor I was able to obtain housing goods, security deposit assistance, lots of food, and most importantly mental support to obtain my EMT certification and not give up like I did in the past. The support I received allowed me the opportunity to become essentially debt free, build a savings account, focus on healing from my childhood a bit more, and most importantly have the longest stable and safe housing in my life. I sincerely thank Foster Your Future for giving a young guy like me opportunities to become successful when no one else believed in me (including myself)." - Foster Your Future Graduate