A Message From Feng Ming Li
As many of you may have known, I am a volunteer counselor for the UCLA Unicamp program, which is a nonprofit, student- run organization that takes 1,000 kids to camp throughout the summer. This year, I joined the Transitional Youth Empowerment session, which focusses on providing mentorship, educational support, and empowerment for the foster youth community. As a volunteer, I need to fundraise $450 to subsidize the cost of camp for these campers and I would appreciate any amount of donation that you are willing to help me meet this goal. Thank you! :)
Transitional youth refers to kids, usually those in their teens, who are transitioning from adolescence to adulthood, and are in the foster care system. Without the proper resources, foster kids are more likely to not receive a college degree-only 3% of all foster youth graduate college. Compare that with national rates of roughly 40% of the population having a degree. Transitional youth may lack the information necessary to know what they should do to make college more attainable. Sometimes individuals may prioritize getting these kids housing over giving them access to resources that help them get good grades, stay in school, and eventually get to college. With a solid pool of social capital, this can be partially remedied. This session incorporates many different types of programing outside of the normal camp activities to help provide an engaging and fun week of camp, such as scavenger hunts, open mic, self-care workshops, and more.
In Support of UCLA UniCamp
UCLA UniCamp is the official student charity of the University of California, Los Angeles. UniCamp operates as an independently funded non-profit organization linking the University with the community. Each year, UniCamp inspires nearly 1,000 children from underserved families to envision brighter futures by sending them, along with 400 student volunteers, to its residential outdoor summer camp.