ABOUT US
Established in 2018, Mississippi Youth Voice is a project of First Place for Youth in partnership with the Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative. Working with the Mississippi Department of Child Protective Services, our Jackson, Mississippi office delivers programs for transition-age foster youth across the state to build skills, relationships, and personal understanding for independent, self-sufficient adult lives. We also lift up the voices of young adults with lived experience in foster care to advocate for their futures.
The partnership with the Mississippi Department of Child Protective Services sets a course for Mississippi to become a leader in improving outcomes for youth exiting the foster care system.
MISSISSIPPI YOUTH VOICE
Our Mississippi Youth Voice project empowers young people who have experienced foster care:
- To develop leadership skills and advocate for themselves and their peers with judges, attorneys, legislators and leaders of the Mississippi Dept. of Child Protective Services
- To share their perspectives on social media, blogs, & traditional media outlets and create resources for youth in care and transitioning out of care
- To build broader communities of support
- To engage with front-line foster care system workers, providers, & foster parents
OPPORTUNITY PASSPORT
First Place also offers independent-living-skills programs for young adults transitioning from foster care to adulthood, including delivering Opportunity Passport™– a matched-savings program designed by the Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative.
RECENT WINS FOR TRANSITION-AGED YOUTH
- Kinkade FAITH Scholarship, championed by First Place, covers full cost of attendance for foster youth at Mississippi state and private colleges
- Addition of 14 new Transition-Age Youth Navigator Counselors to support transitions to adulthood for foster youth age 14-21
- Leasing/Rental Authority for youth aging out of care, expanding access to stable housing
PARTNERS
Since 1998, First Place for Youth has been providing California foster youth with the support they need to build the skills for success in school, work, and life as they make the transition to adulthood. In 2017, First Place launched the My First Place Affiliate Network, allowing them to expand their reach through strategic partnerships with other organizations and states.
As part of the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative works in states and local communities across the nation to increase opportunities for current and former foster youth. The organization works to advance policies that best serve the needs of transitioning foster youth, develops tools and research to drive improvements in foster care, and promotes the economic well-being of young people through the Opportunity Passport® matched savings and financial literacy program.
OUR TEAM
Samantha Kalahar – Mississippi Site Director
Samantha oversees First Place for Youth’s collaboration with the Mississippi Department of Child Protection Services and the Annie E. Casey Foundation/Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative to improve services for foster youth in the state. She develops partnerships with community stakeholders and advances a policy agenda that creates opportunities for youth and removes legislative, regulatory, and systemic barriers that hinder them from achieving self-sufficiency and success. Samantha also leads our direct-service programs in the state, acting as advisor for Mississippi Youth Voice, a youth-driven advocacy initiative, and managing Opportunity Passport™, a financial capacity building and matched-savings program. Samantha joined the organization in 2020.