Good Jobs and Healthy Lives on the Horizon for Teens at Vista Del Mar
  ll adolescents face challenges as they make the transition from childhood to
adulthood. They must learn to navigate peer relationships, strengthen their self-esteem,
prepare for the workforce and learn essential life skills such as cooking, cleaning and
balancing a checkbook.
For youth at Vista Del Mar Child and Family Services who have emotional, mental and
behavioral problems, this transition can be especially difficult. With a $100,000 grant
from TCWF, Vista Del Mar is expanding and evaluating the Life Skills program, whose goal
is to prepare youth with difficult backgrounds to live and work as healthy, independent
adults.
"Work and health go hand in hand," said Ruth Brousseau, TCWF senior program
officer. "If someone is not able to maintain good mental and physical health, that
person will have trouble maintaining a job. Likewise, without access to work-related
benefits, such as insurance and a stable income, preventive health services are often out
of reach."
  Vista Del Mar provides residential and day treatment
programs for youth between the ages of 8 and 18 who have been referred by the Department
of Probation, the Department of Mental Health, the Department of Child and Family Services
and private agencies. Some of these young people were removed from their homes because of
abuse or neglect, while others remain with their parents but have serious behavioral
problems.
The Life Skills program targets youth between 14 and 18 years of age. The curriculum
consists of job preparation and placement, nutritional counseling, life skills
workshops—such as shopping, cooking and budgeting—and health and wellness groups
that focus on topics such as exercise, stress management and healthy relationships.
"We want to provide [the youth] with knowledge and equip them with the social
skills they need to transition into adulthood in a successful manner," said Linda
Karchem, Vista Del Mar’s health and wellness coordinator.
One young man who has benefited from the program came to Vista Del Mar one year ago at
the age of 17. He was on probation and behind in school. He had no family support or
positive role models as he entered into adulthood. After participating in the Life Skills
program, he was described as a "success story." He received his high school
diploma and obtained a job with a large video chain store. He is saving his money to move
near his family and join the Job Corps, a government-run job placement program.
Although some of the components of the Life Skills program were previously offered at
Vista Del Mar, the grant has helped staff integrate, expand and evaluate the program. The
program serves approximately 55 youth each year. Participants who are age 16 or older and
complete the pre- and post-test questionnaires will also complete assessments at 6, 12 and
18 months after leaving the agency.
"We have been able to build internally what we have to offer and see if what
we’re doing is working," Karchem said. "The assessment [questionnaire] is
an incredible tool that will allow us to make changes to our program so that we can meet
our goals."
Child advocates state that each year approximately half of the 1,000 youth in Los
Angeles who leave foster care or residential centers at age 18 go directly to life on the
streets. TCWF’s Brousseau hopes programs like this will help lower those statistics
and increase opportunities for these young adults to obtain good jobs and live healthy
lives.
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