PROGRAMS AND SERVICES

I’ve learned I’m worth loving.

       —Tony, age 16, Under One Sky youth in the process of being adopted

Our Commitment
In communities across North Carolina and beyond, there are youth who have tremendous inner gifts but face challenging external circumstances. These youth have been separated from their families of origin and have grown up in foster care. They have reached their teenage years without an adoptive family or strong community of support. The passage to adulthood is full of uncertainty in a world that often does not see or honor them for who they truly are. Under One Sky is committed to offering these youth a wide range of programs to provide the skills, support, and confidence they need to make a safe and successful passage to adulthood.

Passages Youth Camp Program
Passages is a program where long-held dreams unite for the renewal of the human spirit.

Founded in 2004, Passages is a seasonal, camp-based program for North Carolina’s youth in foster care who have been legally cleared for adoption and range in age from 11 to 17. Built around a fundamental respect for the capacity of the youth to act as authors of their own lives, Passages teaches life and work skills, prepares youth for adoption, and provides a nurturing environment for their personal growth. Camp provides a healing setting for all youth in our program to share their experiences of foster care. For brothers and sisters who have been separated while in foster care, Passages offers a rare opportunity for them to reunite.

Family Camp Program
Family Camp is a day program offered to families who are in any stage of adopting a youth enrolled in the Passages program and to families providing guardianship. Family Camp engages parents and youth in building trust and communication skills and provides opportunities to build supportive relationships.

Youth Services
Year-round services are offered to all youth enrolled in the Passages program. Home visits, outings, and attendance at team meetings provide continuity of services between camp sessions, connection to the youth and others in their lives, and support to the youth in their home and community.

Adoption Recruitment Services
Youth-directed, child-specific adoption recruitment services are provided for each youth enrolled in the Passages program. Youth develop their own personal recruitment videos, create their own mini-magazines, and help develop their own recruitment plans.

We will be providing recruitment services for youth not enrolled in the Under One Sky Passages program. Contact Tina Peterson, Youth Services Director for more details.

Additional Programming for 2009

Youth Engagement and Outreach Programs
We have expanded our programming for 2008 to include Youth Engagement and Outreach Programs designed to offer the youth in our program further opportunities to learn important life skills and increase self-efficacy. Youth will have direct ownership of each of the programs by contributing their ideas, putting their designs into practice, and assisting in the planning and coordination process. These programs include:

1. Youth Education and Advocacy Council – As advocates for themselves, speaking from their experiences in foster care and adoption, youth in our program inspire and educate students, teachers, parents, other youth, and professionals in our communities. The Council has presented at many national, state, and local conferences and events over the past two years, and looks forward to more exciting projects for 2009! Check out Youth Achievements for more of what YAC’s been up to!
   
2. Service Council – Youth in the Passages program collaborate with other organizations, Departments of Social Services, and local businesses to provide needed resources for the greater Western North Carolina community. The Service Council is looking forward to planning their first big project in 2009!
   
3. Youth-in-Transition Mentoring and Training Program – Trained mentors spend time on a regular basis assisting youth in our program with personal goals and to provide encouragement, support, and consistent role modeling.
   

For more information about Under One Sky’s Programs, contact Holly Paar, Program Manager

For information about program accomplishments, please contact us.

PLAY THE
CAMP SONG

Registration Materials

• Health Form
  
• Registration Form
  
• Participant Agreement, Indemnification, and Assumption of Risk for Minors
  
• Consent and Release Form
  
• Transportation Consent Form
  
• Media Release Form
  
• Photo Release Form
  
• Partnership Agreement
  

Camp Information

• Sample Camp Schedule
  
• Program Guide
  
• Youth Brochure
  
• Brochure for Guardians and Professionals
  
• 2013 Program Calendar
  

Employment Documents

• Employment Application for Camp
  
• Cabin Counselor and Instructor-Mentor Job Description
  

 WATCH THE PASSAGES 
CAMP PROGRAM MOVIE

Families, adopted youth, and youth in foster care at Family Camp, Fall 2007