Living Advantage, Inc begins to implement the VALE program thanks to its partnership with USC

Nov. 2, 2011 - PRLog -- LOS ANGELES –  Living Advantage, Inc  was awarded USC’s Neighborhood Outreach (UNO) funding to provide targeted support to foster youth at Foshay Learning Center, which is part of the USC Family of Schools. The program will help prepare foster children for independent living, higher education, and employment. The central mission of www.LivingAdvantageInc.org is to address the problems facing youth aging out from the foster care system. Living Advantage will be able to provide life skills workshops and link youth to resources and services in the community with the help of the partnership of University of Southern California’s Joint Educational Project, faculty in the USC Department of Psychology, and Foshay. With UNO support, “Supporting Foster Youth in the Transition to Adulthood” (SFYTA) program will help do the following: 1) Increase utilization of community resources, including the VALE program; 2) Enable positive changes in student’s attitudes and beliefs, particularly with regard to feelings of self-efficacy; and 3) Enable positive changes in students behavior and academic outcomes, including improvements in school attendance and grades, as well as decreases in behavioral problems.

Thanks to the collaboration with USC, this grant will provide additional resources and staffing that will enable Living Advantage to begin providing these necessary services to foster kids at inner city schools. In order to carry out this goal, Living Advantage is seeking matching funding and asking the community for their support.

Executive Director, Pamela Clay quotes “ how exciting to be able to partner with USC who is such a great educator in the community.”

Living Advantage, Inc will be hosting a “Charity Mixer that Matters” in supporting and rebuilding foster youth. Please come and enjoy a cash bar and appetizers hosted and sponsored by Actor and Producer Sean Blakemore from General Hospital. Tickets are available on the Living Advantage, Inc website. One hundred percent of the proceeds go towards supporting foster youth education and independent living. Time and date to be announced.

Your contributions will provide services in the following areas:
•   Coordinate academic activities, life skills, job preparation, Internet safety and computer literacy.
•   Identify and facilitate the delivery of services to youth, depending on their specific needs (e.g., employment, transitional housing and mental health services).

For more information on how YOU can become a partner, please feel free to contact Living Advantage, Inc at 323.731.6471 or go to www.LivingAdvantageInc.org

About Living Advantage, Inc.
The mission of Living Advantage is to eliminate unemployment, homelessness and incarceration for youth in foster care living in Los Angeles County. We assist youth with locating and maintaining their vital life documents and family history. This provides them the opportunity to receive the much needed resources and services from the community on a consistent basis. Utilizing innovative technology and media enables us to better serve and meet their higher need. Living Advantage inspires and educates people about how to invest in the lives of our youth living in foster care, to raise money and bring awareness through live entertainment, online video streaming and social media. www.LivingAdvantageInc.org


About USC Neighborhood Outreach
USC Neighborhood Outreach is a grant-making program with the sole purpose of enhancing the quality of life in the neighborhoods surrounding the University Park and Health Sciences campuses. Gifts from USC faculty, staff and other donors through the annual USC Good Neighbors Campaign are the primary source of USC Neighborhood Outreach funding. Responsibility for overseeing the university’s overall civic engagement initiatives lies with USC Government and Civic Engagement. This office is charged with managing USC’s relationships with all of its external constituencies, including local schools, nonprofits, neighborhood residents, businesses, civic leaders and other stakeholders from the neighborhoods surrounding the University Park and Health Sciences campuses as well as government officials at the local, state and national levels. http://communities.usc.edu/uno/  


About USC JEP Program
JEP is one of the oldest and largest service-learning programs in the country, offering students at the University of Southern California the unique opportunity to combine academic coursework with experiences in the community surrounding the campus. Each year, some 2000 students from over several courses receive academic credit for their participation in JEP. In addition, about 400 students serve as non-credit volunteers and share their time and special talents with their neighbors. JEP is also home to the Trojan Health Volunteers, a program designed to serve pre-meds and health educators, and USC ReadersPlus, an America Reads / America Counts work-study affiliate. http://dornsife.usc.edu/joint-educational-project


About USC Department of Psychology
In USC's Department of Psychology, faculty and students are engaged in groundbreaking studies, both investigating basic theoretical questions and bringing their work to bear on some of society's most pressing needs. The department offers graduate training in five areas: Brain & Cognitive Science, Clinical Science, Developmental Psychology, Quantitative Methods, and Social Psychology. The department has state-of-the-art research facilities, including the Dana & David Dornsife Cognitive Neuroscience Imaging Center located in an adjacent building. A shared, communal social behavior laboratory of testing rooms and equipment is available for use by all faculty and students who are doing behavioral research. The clinical science program offers clinical services to the community through the on-campus Psychology Services Center. http://psychology.usc.edu/home/


About James A. Foshay Learning Center
James A. Foshay Learning Center will foster a positive, humanistic, multi-cultural approach towards students, parents, and staff, characterized by academic excellence. In promoting this humanistic approach and developing the Foshay Way, every person will feel respected as a valued and contributing member of the campus. As a LEARN school, we emphasize the involvement of all stakeholder groups—staff, students, parents, and community members.  All groups are represented on the school’s governing bodies, the School Based Management Leadership Council and the School Site Council, which means that the stakeholders have the opportunity to play an active role in collaborative decision-making.  Foshay Learning Center has an operating Parent Center, which provides a variety of services to parents and students. http://www.foshaylc.org/

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The mission of Living Advantage is to eliminate unemployment, homelessness and incarceration for youth in foster care living in Los Angeles County. We assist youth with locating and maintaining their vital life documents and family history.