Supporting Youth in Foster Care Through Community & Mentorship with Beth Ryan and Jorie Das
About this episode
This episode discusses the importance of collaboration between organizations to support youth in foster care through mentorship and community.
As National Foster Care Awareness Month comes to a close, this episode of Fostering Change focuses on something deeply important: what happens when organizations stop working in silos and start working together for young people. This week, Rob Scheer is joined by two Los Angeles-based leaders making a meaningful impact in the lives of youth connected to foster care: Beth Ryan, Executive Director & Founder of Stepping Forward LA, and Jorie Das, Executive Director of Friends of the Children Los Angeles. Together, their organizations are helping young people navigate some of the most difficult transitions imaginable — aging out of foster care, finding stability, building community, and creating long-term support systems rooted in consistency and trust. Beth Ryan’s work through Stepping Forward LA focuses on youth transitioning out of foster care, with programs centered around mentorship, housing support, internships, workforce readiness, and a first-of-its-kind app designed by and for foster youth. Jorie Das leads Friends of the Children Los Angeles, which provides long-term professional mentorship to youth facing systemic barriers through a unique 12+ year commitment model…
More episodes of Fostering Change
- From Foster Care to Family Law: Susan Chesnutt on Justice, Healing, and Child Welfare
- From Trauma to Triumph: Dr. Danisha Keating's Journey of Foster Care, Healing, and Hope
- From Foster Care to a Billion-Dollar Brand: Carolyn Aronson's Journey of Resilience and Reinvention
- Listening First: Bridging Policy, Community, and Youth in Foster Care Support with Kym Renner
- Foster Dad: The Power of Showing Up with Corey McKinney
- Growing Up Scheer: A Father and Son's Perspective on Family, Foster Care, and Finding Home
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