Youth Voices Rising's "Pack to the Future" Backpack Drive Returns July 29 in Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES - July 24, 2023 - PRLog -- The Youth Voices Rising program from Fostering Media Connections — a national journalism nonprofit based in Los Angeles — is working with community partners to support foster youth on their academic journey through Pack to the Future: A Backpack Drive for College-Bound Foster Youth this summer.

The goal of this project is to provide 250 high school and college students with the necessary resources to confidently begin their postsecondary education, from notebooks and highlighters to laptops and dorm room essentials.

With only 70% of foster youth graduating high school by age 19, and only 24% going on to college at all, the challenges faced by these emerging adults are clear. Youth Voices Rising Program Manager and former foster youth, Raquel Wilson, remembers struggling to get the materials she needed to prosper while in college, and designed this event to make it easier for fellow foster students to strive for their academic goals.

"When attending supply drives dedicated to supporting students, I noticed most of the items often went to  younger students," Wilson said. "This experience revealed the need for events specifically dedicated to older students so that each individual feels special, cared for and prepared to succeed in the new school year, especially during the challenging transition from high school to college."

The supply-stuffed backpacks will be distributed at a live event at Isana Academy in Los Angeles' Leimert Park neighborhood on July 29, 2023. The event will also feature vendors and workshops to help teens prepare for college life, from barbers and hairdressers providing fresh styles, to professionals offering financial literacy training. Students are invited to attend a financial literacy/college planning workshop from 11 am to 12:30 pm at the event.

In addition to basic school supplies, "Pack to the Future" also seeks to give a number of big-ticket items like laptops or mini-fridges, bedding and other furnishings for dorms. Youth can ask for what they need through a wishlist request form.

Individuals can support the event by bidding on a luxury cruise provided by AmaWaterways (go to bit.ly/yvrcruise to bid), purchasing school supplies via Youth Voices Rising's Walmart Registry (go to bit.ly/yvrsupplies), volunteering as an event helper, sponsor or vendor, or making monetary contributions.