Helping Youth Transition to Post-Secondary and Beyond: What Works

Hi Everyone-

We have been busy the last few months leading two peer learning communities with  older youth afterschool and youth workforce development nonprofits in San Francisco. As part of our efforts to support them to develop more impactful programs, we have worked in the peer learning communities to stretch our thinking about what it means to assist young people to transition to that next step:  post-secondary training, community college, or a four year college. 

We understand that part of our work is to assist young people to a) envision what that next step looks like, b) develop a sound set of action steps that are documented in a  user-friendly plan and c) support each individual with the resources and referrals to ensure success as they embark on the next phase of their lives. We thought we would share our findings on best practices from both literature and interviewing 8+ regional youth serving agencies on what works. 

First, let's define what we mean by transition planning. A transition plan is an educational and career plan that includes clear steps and supports needed to complete high school, post-secondary training, education or a workforce program. The plan should be written with clear documentation of resources, supports and referrals to community partners. It should also include up to a year of follow-up support for each youth after they leave the program.

5 Best Practices for Developing a Successful Transition Plan

1. The plan should be strengths- and assets-based and focus on what's working in the young person's life.
2. Youth must be the architects of the plan. They need to own the process as well as the written (electronic or paper) document.
3. A team approach, involving other supportive adults is beneficial. If  we engage family members, teachers, social workers, coaches, mentors in the planning, all the better. One agency we work with asks youth to invite one special adult in their life to hear them present their plan. This makes the plan real.
4. The plan must be personalized and completely individualized for each person.
5. A transition plan must be more than a form. We've all seen what happens to important papers in kids' backpacks. It must be documented on a form, but it needs to be more than just a piece of paper that is filled out and forgotten.  It should be updated and revised throughout the year through regular progress checks.

For additional resources we really love the Transition Toolkit that was developed by Foster Club-the National Network for Young People in Foster Care. 

We would love to work with your agency to develop stronger afterschool/summer or youth employment curricula and  transition plans. Let us know how we can help.

Warmest regards, Amanda Gerrie & Kim Coulthurst, Partners, Pathways Consultants