CBS News last night!

Saturday, February 11, 2012

CBS News last night!

You can view our segment from the CBS news last night here for the opening of The Teen Project! A huge thanks goes out to our fantastic designers and Lauri for giving us the space to create for these deserving teens!

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About The Teen Project - Venice

About The Teen Project

We are a volunteer centric organization. We have one full time employee paid by a direct grant. We have a team of over 60 committed volunteers working with us on a regular basis to provide the support and services for our youth. Our team consists of business owners, executives, system kids and caring community members.

The number of homeless emancipated foster youth in the United States is a growing epidemic that must be treated aggressively. To adress the magnitude of the problem, THE TEEN PROJECT has many components, Sober College Housing, The PAD Database, Teen Project Shelter Collaboration, The Meeting Places Program, The TEXT Shelter service and the National Mentoring Program. THE TEEN PROJECT protocol seeks to address the issue on all levels. There are 25,000 teens exiting the system each year to homelessness. We are a parent to the parentless, bringing them home.

Foster ends at 18. Foster care services end abruptly and these kids are forced to leave the only home they know. Most do not have a plan or a place to live. Truth of the matter is that anyone being put on the street without money, shelter or a job would have a rough time, but because of their age and mental state these kids lack knowledge necessary to rebound from this tragedy.

In most cases they leave foster care with little or no sustainable life-plan, and without the ability to reenter care. The foster parents are not obligated to prepare them and due to legal issues and deep budget cuts, their social workers are limited to what they can provide and must cut contact when they leave.

Their chances are slim. They end up couch hopping with friends. In the long run, lacking parental support or guidance, the result is reliance on reactive services - homeless shelters, jails and the welfare system.

The Teen Project picks up where the laws fall short, giving these kids a chance at life. We believe taking them from their abusive parents, telling them they are "safe" now in foster care and dumping them on the street at an age where most young adults are about to begin the most exciting journey of their life, is double dipping on the abuse.

We need to make it right for America's most vulnerable children.

Founder Lauri Burns

Lauri Burns is our Founder and serves on our Executive Board. Lauri grew up in the Juvenile Dependency System where she was a probation youth and ward of the court. Lauri turned her life around five years after emancipation and was determined to make a change for other system youth. Lauri has been taking in "At Risk Youth" for 20 years and has been serving as a foster mother to troubled teens for over 13 years.

Lauri owns a computer consulting firm and is a computer network engineer. She has been consulting to a Fortune 100 defense company for the past 11 years. Lauri is the Author of Punished for Purpose and donates 75% of her book proceeds to The Teen Project. She is a sought after inspirational speaker and owns her own publishing company where she plans to publish inspirational stories written by other foster youth.. Lauri is instrumental in our our day to day operations and the lives of our youth.

Want to Donate?

New VENICE BEACH RESOURCE CENTER

The Teen Project is a Volunteer Centric Organization

Click HERE to donate.

Steadfast in our commitment that the donations should go to direct support of our youth, our team consists of volunteers with the exception of our Executive Director (who is funded through a direct grant) from the California Wellness Foundation and our board helps to pay the Housemom.

Our team of dedicated volunteers is growing daily! We are committed neighbors, parents and business owners. We are the parent to the parentless.

Areas we need help:

New 24/7 Crisis Rescue Shelter in SANTA ANA

The FIRST 24/7 Drop in Center for At Risk Youth 18-24 in THE OC. House and 3 apartments for 18 kids per night!