Statewide OPT-in partners took time from their very busy schedules to gather together, for the first time since February of 2020, for a mini retreat at Central College in Pella, Iowa.   

OPT-in retreat participants included individuals from Youth Policy Institute of Iowa, Kirkwood College, Central College, Department of Human Services, Cedar Rapids Public Schools, Des Moines Public Schools, Iowa College Aid, Education Training Voucher (ETV), Iowa Department of Education, a foster parent and most importantly, a young scholar who aged out of the foster care system and is now working on her MSW.   

NTK Enterprise, LLC CEO and founder, Kimberlee Gregory, kicked off the event with an “Invitation to Brave Space” offered as a valuable reminder of our collective purpose “to turn down the volume of the outside world … and amplify voices that fight to be heard elsewhere …” so that we were able to more effectively share our individual wisdom with another.    

The next portion of the retreat was led by Mr. Tony Wilson, the Founder and Director of Curriculum Development and Transformation at Central Community Development Corporation.  Along with serving as the new fiscal agent, Mr. Wilson offered his expertise “in-kind”, along with individual coaching for OPT-in members throughout year four.  He challenged the participants to consider their power on an even deeper level by first creating “Sanctuary” and then engaging them in a thoughtful exercise that demonstrated “The Power of Thought.”  These fundamental practices are helpful to those who are experiencing stress, particularly in the world of human service delivery in which we play such an instrumental role in other people’s lives.     

Retreat participants view the system process through a variety of lenses, each observing the unique challenges of serving youth who are aging out of court-ordered or kinship care placements. The collective vision for this population is to improve person-centered coordination of care and service continuity throughout the transition period. 

“We simply cannot reach them”

High School and post-secondary institutions generally offer supplemental student supports, like SUCCESS & TRIO, that are designed to support our target population. The challenge however lies in being able to identify who those students are.  Even within an institution, there is confusion regarding what information may be shared and how it may be shared.  Some of the policy & practices are vastly outdated and negatively impact service delivery and outcomes.     

OPT-in Action Team participants continue to explore the underlying issues that impede our ability to support transitioning youth. During the retreat, each Team had the opportunity to share their intended action goals for the remaining seven months of the Year IV LCAN grant period: 

PSE Attendance

• Make the case for increased educational support for systems-involved youth
  1. Build on the lessons learned via the FHE pilot project in Cedar Rapids supports.
• Increase awareness of vocational and technical education and training opportunities for youth aging out of the system.
  1. Partnering with other youth serving organizations
  2. Social media

PSE Persistence

• Build relationships and awareness at the college level to increase access to postsecondary supports in an effort to improve retention rates.
  1. Presenting to youth serving audiences and decision makers
  2. Promoting College Readiness #602
• Determine who has the power and authority to revise or implement our recommendations based on the existing policy, codes, and mandates, and bring this to their attention

High School Completion

• Make the case for a point of contact position throughout Iowa school districts whose sole position is to coordinate services for youth transitioning between placement & schools and recommendations to operationalize it.
• Establish a formal “Educational Staffing” that includes all supports and people involved to meet the needs of youth.

In addition to the significant shift in service delivery during the pandemic, there is a need to revisit institutional, state, and federal mandates that influence policy and practice within institutions.  OPT-in partners are working together to create what may serve as a launching point for additional conversation and consideration as the Iowa approach to service delivery evolves. Our action team meetings are open and we welcome your feedback.  We are especially calling on decision makers, advocates, young adults transitioning out of the system; your voice matters. 

A special thank you to Cheri Doane for a very special in-kind donation of her time and access to Central College and West Market Park for this valuable opportunity for the OPT-in partners.   

For more information contact Rachel Lewis at OPTiniowa@outlook.com