Several dozen Santa Clarita Valley youth recently enjoyed a day at the beach thanks to Fostering Youth Independence’s Reconnect and Rejuvenate Day, which gave the youth a chance to enjoy a day away from the stress of daily life.

FYI is the largest Santa Clarita Valley-based nonprofit supporting local foster youth who have aged out of the Los Angeles County foster care system without being adopted or reunified with their birth parents. FYI addresses challenges faced by these youth, which include not finishing high school or pursuing higher education, homelessness and incarceration. FYI offers local foster youth resources to help overcome past traumas, complete an education, gain employment and become successful, independent adults.

Enjoying a day in the sun on the beach in Ventura, the youth and chaperones explored the harbor in pedal boats, played in the surf, participated in a sandcastle building competition and ended the day with dinner at Toppers in Oxnard Harbor.

“This was a wonderful day where new friendships were formed, and, importantly, the FYI network was strengthened,” said Carolyn Olsen, FYI’s executive director and co-founder. “We aim to create a community of support for these youth who are aging out of the L.A. County foster system without being adopted or reunited with their birth families.”

Olsen said the purpose of the day was to build teamwork among the youth and increase their ability to trust others, offer youth the opportunity to form stronger connections with other foster youth, establish a support system vital for their emotional and academic success and empower them to identify their strengths and build confidence.

FYI works to encouragement and support youth as they pursue a post-high school education and hosts various social, networking and enrichment activities throughout the year.

“The lives of foster youth are full of challenges and we want to remove roadblocks to them becoming successful, independent adults,” Olsen said. “Offering these youth a reprieve from the stresses of foster life was a key component of our Reconnect and Rejuvenate Day.”

Following the beach day, FYI received numerous notes of thanks from the youth, including:

“I loved when we went on the boats and when we were all together at the beach, and I really just had a great day that day. I wanna say that day was probably one of the greatest in a while and I just wanted to say thank you.”

“Thank you so much for today. This was exactly what I needed.”

“Thank you for the beach trip you planned out. It was very relaxing and peaceful. It took me back to when I went to the beach for the first time after immigrating here. That’s why I got so excited. Plus I never had a sand castle building experience before.”

The city of Santa Clarita Community Services & Arts grant provided funding for the event and Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger’s office donated the charter bus. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints provided snacks and beach toys for the outing.

“We’re so thankful for the partners in our community who’ve chosen to support these vulnerable youth,” said Olsen.

FYI currently serves 76 transition age (16-25 years) foster youth in the Santa Clarita Valley and has supported 153 SCV youth since its inception in 2017. It assigns each youth a caring adult volunteer Ally and a coordinator to help them set and achieve goals in areas such as education, employment, housing, finances, health, transportation, assistance with college applications, enrollment and class registration and referrals to resources for food, housing, health, mental health and employment.

The nonprofit also provides emergency financial assistance when an unexpected expense such as a car repair threatens to derail a youth’s educational plans.

FYI offers The Study Place for learning support and tutoring, a Ready, Set Drive! program to assist youth in obtaining their drivers license, hosts events throughout the year where the youth can connect with other youth and Allies to create a community of support and partners with College of the Canyons for referrals and counseling. It also provides school supplies and holiday gifts.

For more information about Fostering Youth Independence and how to support the organization visit www.fyifosteryouth.org.