Looking for a way to use your critical thinking and communications skills to help improve the educational outcomes of foster children in Indianapolis?  Read on! 

Become a School Education Advocate to Effect Positive Social Change!

Did you know that approximately 75% of foster children in the United States are behind grade level?  Did you know that 67% of foster children will be suspended from school, and foster youth are twice as likely to drop out of school?  Did you also know that these poor educational outcomes can have long-lasting societal impacts, as 22% of former foster youth experience homelessness and 17% receive some form of public assistance?  Did you know that many former foster youth spend time incarcerated, and the unemployment rate for former foster youth tops 50%?  Do you wonder what you can do personally to combat these poor educational outcomes by ensuring that foster children have the resources, support, and opportunities they need for a healthy and productive future?

On September 14, 2011, from 9:00 to 11:30 a.m., the IndyBar School Education Advocacy Program will host a training in collaboration with FosterEd: Marion County.  The program is intended for attorneys, law students, and paralegals interested in supporting the educational success of children with special needs through lay advocacy.  The training will introduce the agencies, procedures and processes a volunteer will encounter when advocating for a child with special educational needs.  Education law and entitlement programs and rights will briefly be covered.  Volunteers will then be asked whether they would like to be added to FosterEd’s list of trained Education Advocates available to be paired with a foster child living in Marion County who has unmet special education needs.  In other words, simply attending the training does not obligate you to do anything further! 

Education Advocates will be asked to secure appropriate educational opportunities by building the capacity of the student, family, and caregiver through collaboration with the school system.  The commitment is flexible, depending on the issues at hand, but you should expect to spend at least a couple hours per week until the issues are resolved; some weeks will be more, some less.  This is an excellent opportunity for paralegals and law students to hone their communications skills, learn about special education law, be introduced to one of the myriad IndyBar pro bono projects, and have a real, positive impact on your community!

A complimentary live training will be held on Wednesday, September 14, from 9:00 to 11:30 a.m. at the IndyBar, 135 North Pennsylvania Street, Ste 1500.  For those who cannot attend the live training, DVD's will be available for check-out through the IndyBar.  Please register for the training at www.indybar.org.  Program volunteers must be members of the Indianapolis Bar Association (membership applications are also available at www.indybar.org) CLE will not be offered.