Route 21
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Mission Statement
Find young adults who grew up in foster care to be paid and supported to mentor youth currently in care.
About This Cause
Route 21: Lived experience experts mentoring the next generation of youth impacted by foster care through intentional connection and community building. The Problem Youth in foster care are the most vulnerable youth in America. They are more vulnerable than any race and even more vulnerable than homeless youth. When they age out of foster care it is a drop off - a near total loss of support systems for many. 18% of those in prison grew up in foster care or a similar system. (Beatty and Snell) As much as 60% of those who are sex-trafficked grew up in foster care or a group home. (Johnson and Saar) 22% of those who are homeless grew up in foster care and 25% of homeless people under age 25 grew up in care. (Burt and Aron and San Francisco Homeless Count and Survey ) The Cost Because youth aging out of foster care are routinely involved in the justice system and public assistance programs they end up costing society $625,000 on average (Nelson and Roman). Youth who have been in foster care often carry the trauma they have experienced for many years and that pain tends to bleed into their relationships, jobs and housing situations. They need a safe place and community to help work through that trauma to help them feel more stable so they do not lean so heavily on government social systems. A Solution Rick and Rebecca Newell I spent 10 years building a mentoring program called M.U.S.T. (mentoringisamust.org). The outcomes for M.U.S.T. are outstanding. Seattle Public Schools graduates 67% of their black males. M.U.S.T. only serves the most vulnerable black males and 82% of M.U.S.T. you graduate high school. That number is still on the rise with each cohort that graduates. Black males graduate college at 37% from four year institutions. 80% of M.U.S.T.’s college mentors will graduate college. The mentoring model clearly works. Route 21 is applying that same mentoring model to youth in foster care who will probably age out of the foster care system. As with M.U.S.T., the mentoring model also helps the mentors who are adults in their 20s and 30s who also spent time in foster care. Similar to M.U.S.T., we find young adults who grew up in foster care and pay them and support them well to mentor youth currently in foster care. Route 21 is a seven year mentoring program (until age 21 and beyond). Mentors and youth have breakfast together each week. Twice a month we go on fun group outings like movies, go karts and paintball. Quarterly we do more intentional group events that teach our core curriculum of W.H.E.E.L.S. (Wealth, Health, Education, Emotions, Life Skills and Spirituality). Over time youth look at their mentors and begin to think... "If they can do it... so can I!" As with M.U.S.T., Rick and Rebecca do not personally plan to be the leaders of this organization for the long term. We will identify good leadership, raise up that leadership and then hand off the organization. We would like our first cohort director that we hire in 2024 to serve as cohort director for at least two years. In the third year they would have equal say and equal pay with me. After those three years they would take over as the executive director. The Need Route 21’s current budget for 2023-24 (July 1 - June 30) is $309,000 and is fully funded. Our next budget year 2024-25 will be a projected $495,000, so we need to raise an additional $186,000. Typical mentoring programs have about a 3:1 SROI (Social Return on Investment). M.U.S.T. had a SROI of 8:1 after 10 years of operation. You give M.U.S.T. $1 and it will give $8 back to society. We estimate that Route 21’s SROI will be as good, if not better, than M.U.S.T. because the population Route 21 serves has even greater needs. Route 21 is a good investment. The Ask Route 21 limits its recurring donors to 10% of its overall budget ($495K) so the loss of one donor does not cripple the organization and so that no one donor will have too much influence on the direction of the organization. Therefore, we are asking up to the maximum amount of $49.5K for a recurring donor. We are asking for a four year commitment because we want to assure that each cohort that is launched is fully funded through their high school graduation. As with M.U.S.T., we value what we call your Joy Number. We do not care how much you give but rather that you maximize your joy in giving. When people give out of joy it makes it a party for everyone. What is the dollar amount that would bring you the most joy to give to Route 21? A general four year commitment to this cohort of youth as they go through high school would be helpful. The secret sauce of Route 21 is that we hire relatable mentors who have spent time in foster care, we train and pay them so they are professional mentors and that we serve the youth for a long period of time. This winning formula and our experience in building a successful and effective mentoring program will add to your confidence that your support dollars are truly making a positive change in the lives of vulnerable foster youth. Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely, Route 21