This document was printed from the website of the California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse for Child Welfare (CEBC), which you can access at http://www.cachildwelfareclearinghouse.org/
This document was printed from the website of the California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse for Child Welfare (CEBC), which you can access at http://www.cachildwelfareclearinghouse.org/
Type of Maltreatment: Not specified
Target Population: Current or former foster youth between the ages of 14-24.
Brief Description:
The Opportunity PassportTM has been rated by the CEBC in the area of Youth Transitioning into Adulthood. The Opportunity PassportTM is operated by The San Diego Foster Youth Initiative (SDFYI), a division of the YES Transition Network. The Opportunity PassportTM is the centerpiece of the Initiative's work. Designed to organize resources and create opportunities for young people leaving foster care, the Opportunity PassportTM is a promising new tool with three related components: 1) A personal debit account to be used to pay for short-term expenses; 2) A matched savings account, also known as an Individual Development Account (IDA), to be used for specific assets, such as education expenses and housing down payments/deposits; and 3) Door openers, a host of opportunities to be developed on a local basis. (Examples include pre-approval for registration for community college courses and expedited access to job-training or adult education courses. The San Diego Leadership Empowers All Possibilities (LEAP) Board is the driving force of the Opportunity PassportTM. The LEAP Board is charged with the task of identifying and developing opportunities in the community that will help current and former foster youth succeed. The LEAP board is assisted by a Community Partnership Board. This board is made up of community members from various backgrounds, such as judges, foster parents, business owners, bankers, and the law enforcement field.
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The Opportunity PassportTM is a program that focuses on three primary ideas; financial literacy, employment preparation, and opportunities in the community.
Financial Literacy
Employment Preparation
Community Opportunities
Opportunity Passport was not designed to be conducted in a group.
Opportunity Passport has not been tested for use in a group setting.
Recommended intensity: The type and amount of contact varies among participants. If a youth is serving on the LEAP board, they will have contact with a staff member at the Board's monthly meetings. Youth may drop in to talk, ask questions, or obtain advice. Youth are contacted every three months to gain support in completing their surveys. When the survey is completed, the staff review participation in the program and assess further needs. In addition, events that target Employment; Education; Personal and Community Engagement; Housing; and Physical and Mental Health occur approximately every month and last approximately four hours.
Recommended duration: Youth can participate in the program for up to three years, or until their 24th birthday. The LEAP Board’s monthly meeting is approximately three hours.
Opportunity Passport includes a homework component.
Description: All youth are required to complete an online survey every ninety days. The survey can be done at home if they have access to the internet, or it can be done anywhere there is internet connection.
Opportunity Passport is typically conducted in a(n): Community Agency.
Opportunity Passport was not designed with a Parent Component.
Opportunity Passport was designed with a Child Component.
Opportunity Passport addresses the following presenting problems and symptoms: Symptoms and problems that arise from being a youth in foster care transitioning into adulthood.
Age range(s): 14-24
Opportunity Passport was not developed for children with developmental delays.
Opportunity Passport has not been tested for children with developmental delays.
Opportunity Passport was not designed for specific racial/ethnic/cultural groups.
Opportunity Passport was not tested in specific racial/ethnic/cultural groups.
There is a manual that describes how to implement this program.
There is not training available for Opportunity Passport.
The typical resources for implementing Opportunity Passport are: A staff of 5, 1 shared office, audiovisual equipment, and computer with internet access.
Bachelor’s degree or related experience working with the foster care population.
No research studies have been published to date on the Opportunity PassportTM.
All participants in the Opportunity PassportTM must complete financial literacy training:
Building Assets for Your Future: Financial Literacy Curriculum (October 2004 edition), available for download from http://www.jimcaseyyouth.org/opportunitypassport.htm.
Conwell, V. (2006). Help for former foster children. Black Enterprise, June, 56.
Contact name: Mark Nanzer
Affiliation/Agency: Access Inc. - Youth Initiative Manager
Email: mnanzer@access2jobs.org
Phone: (858) 560-0871 x119
Fax: (858) 560-8135
Website: http://www.jimcaseyyouth.org/opportunitypassport.htm