As youth grapple with so many new crises in our current world, how may we harness strategic foresight to create better and more hopeful outcomes for young adults exiting foster care so they can not just survive, but thrive, by 2035? The pandemic, climate crises, new advances in technology, and changes in the economy have changed the trajectory of youth’s lives, and it is urgent that we change the systems that are responsible for youth in response.
Funded by Tipping Point Community and developed in partnership with Youth Law Center (YLC), On the Threshold of Change is the first-ever report to use strategic foresight to develop a vision in response to the future forces that will dramatically change the lives of hundreds of thousands of young people who will experience foster care over the next decade as they make the difficult transition to adulthood in a rapidly changing world. This report is based on 1) over a decade of research on the outcomes of youth after new federal funds were made available in 2008 to extend foster care to age 21; 2) the wisdom of youth who have experienced the transition from foster care to adulthood; and, 3) the insight of experts in fields such as futurism, youth development, technology, the economy, climate change, and the role of family.
