One Hope United’s Transition Age Youth Services (TAYS) program in Highlands County supports young people ages 13 to 23 who are or were in foster care by helping them build life skills, access education, and prepare for adulthood and independence.
Recently, youth participating in TAYS completed a creative, hands-on project known as the “Curtain of Hope,” a quilt made up of individual patches sewn during one-on-one coaching visits. Each young adult contributed their own square over time, learning basic sewing skills while reflecting on their personal journey.
Each patch was chosen to represent something meaningful to the young person creating it. One youth selected a rabbit to symbolize how she once felt she was “hopping around,” but is now settled in her forever home. Another chose flowers to represent a new beginning. Others selected symbols for family or personal interests. In the final stage of the project, youth added words of inspiration using glitter glue, transforming the quilt into a shared message of resilience and hope.
Being a mentor to a young adult in these tumultuous times means being present, honest, and intentional in building trust. It’s about guiding them, sharing life experiences without judgment, and challenging them to believe they can succeed—while helping them set real steps to get there.
– Roger Vazquez, Transition Age Youth Services Supervisor
The quilt project grew out of monthly life skills lessons, which began with sewing and threading a needle and evolved into a larger reflection on growth and independence.
Beyond creative projects, TAYS offers critical support including transition planning, help obtaining identification documents, life coaching, court oversight when applicable, education and tuition assistance, financial stipends, and housing support. Programs include Extended Foster Care (up to age 21), Post-secondary Education Services and Support (PESS, up to age 23), and Aftercare, a bridge program designed to help young adults overcome barriers to employment, housing, and education.
“One young adult I worked with was terrified of the college process, even though she had always wanted to go,” Vazquez shared. “I walked with her through those doors, helped her get her schedule, and when she finally held it in her hands, she sat in the car and cried—she never imagined college could be part of her life. I cried with her. Moments like that remind me why we must keep doing this work.”
For more information about Transition Age Youth Services click here.