Young people in foster care have different reasons for enrolling in Arizona Friends of Foster Children Foundation’s Keys to Success (KTS) program. For Salim, he wanted individualized career exploration and planning services as well as education support and assistance with his independent living goals.
Not Quick Enough
Salim was slated to graduate from high school next spring. Eager to reach his goals at a faster pace, he realized that the traditional high school setting just wasn’t for him. With this goal in mind, his career development specialist (CDS) created an education plan to help him complete his education a a quicker pace.
Salim’s CDS helped him enroll with KTS partner, Grad Solutions, so he could take online courses at his own pace. He completed his last class in September and is now a high school graduate, eight months earlier than if he continued in a traditional high school setting!
Focus on Education
With a deep-seated motivation to be successful, Salim made school his full-time focus. In fact, he worked so hard that he completed several classes each month. His CDS reports that she’s never seen a student make as much progress as quickly as Salim did.
Salim has taken advantage of every opportunity offered to him through the KTS program from tutoring for English to driver’s education courses. He also enrolled in the Keys to Financial Success (KtFS) course to increase his understanding of credit, money management and budgeting.
Applying Skills
Salim is taking the knowledge he gained from the course and already applying it to his life. He diligently saved money toward his goal of purchasing a car. In fact, he ended up saving an extra $1,000 dollars to be eligible for the KtFS car savings match. He actually purchased his first vehicle in July!
But he’s not done yet! Salim plans to enroll in a certificate training program, and AFFCF and the Keys to Success program will be here to help him achieve his future education goals.
Help Foster Success
Youth in foster care do not have the same access to resources as their peers do. Our Keys to Success program gives youth in foster care the resources that they need to succeed. You can help young people in our Keys to Success program, like Salim, by making a contribution to Arizona Friends of Foster Children Foundation. Individuals can contribute up to $500 and joint filers can contribute up to $1,000 and receive a dollar-for-dollar credit on their Arizona state taxes. Give today at affcf.org/give.