What June Looked Like for the Young People We Serve

Summer should be a time of rest, exploration, and growth. But for many foster youth, the long break between school years quietly undoes months of hard work. Researchers call it the summer slide — and it's one of the most preventable obstacles standing between a young person and the future they deserve. This summer, our Educate to Empower program is taking direct aim at that gap. Across a growing suite of initiatives — built in collaboration with trusted community partners who are doing this work

Every year in the United States, approximately 23,000 young people age out of the foster care system. They turn 18 - sometimes 21 - and the system that was supposed to protect them simply... stops. No gradual handoff. No safety net. Just a date on a calendar, and a world that's never once asked: Are you okay? Are you ready? At the Junaid & Wassia Family Foundation (JWF), we believe the answer to that question matters more than almost anything else we could do. And today, we want to tell you...