Greene County foster youth are learning skills that will help them be more successful once they exit the foster care system.
At a recent event in Springfield, youth from 16 to 20-years-old who are either in foster care or used to be, took part in a scavenger hunt. The Hunt for Independence is part of the Teens Navigating Tomorrow program at the Greene County Juvenile Office. They were challenged to put their independent living skills to the test through hands-on activities, team challenges and real-world problem-solving experiences throughout the city.
“TNT was created way back in 2015 as basically a stopgap to try to fix some of the shortcomings of the foster care system,” said Karen Smith a deputy juvenile officer in Greene County and the TNT coordinator. “We know from stats that our youth leave care often in a situation that’s not stable, and they end up less successful than kids that are not in foster care. So, the idea that started this whole thing was, how can we better our youth as they exit foster care to ensure that they have the supports they need to be successful?”…