Does your young adult have enough support? You and your family certainly provide support, and you may feel that should be enough. But what if your support isn’t enough? Despite your best efforts, your young adult may not accomplish his or her goals without an adequate network around them. Perhaps there are friends encouraging him or her to participate in the very activities you are trying to steer them from. And long-term success in school or a job isn’t likely if the instructors or managers don’t care. It Takes a Village At NDFYA, support comes from everyone. Your young adult receives assistance with activities such as job hunting and academics from our staff from the moment they enroll in our program. The support we offer comes from all directions, however. Our staff members are not the only ones who care. Students at New Directions want to see each other succeed, as well. When students such as Megan first come to NDFYA, they may be overwhelmed and find it difficult to interact and become involved with others. However, once they make the initial connection with another student, they continue to meet and connect with others until they have built a network around themselves. How We Provide Support By living on our campus, it’s easy for our staff and other students to see when a student needs help, and for your young adult to receive that help. It also helps students meet one another and start making friends. Social activities such as Open Mic Night that are open only to students and staff certainly help young adults like yours develop the necessary network. We have also worked hard to create to develop relationships with the local colleges and trade schools. This allows us to provide students with the resources they need both on and off campus to complete their academic goals. Individualized Programs We also recognize everyone needs something different. Some need more support than others, and needs change over time. While one student might have difficulty making friends, another finds their problems lie more in finding an appropriate job or getting coursework done. One example is our housing options. We choose housing for students based on the amount of structure they need, whether it’s apartments where they get to be more independent or group houses where more of their activities have supervision. Give Them the Support They Need Sometimes the focused attention of a transition program such as New Directions is what your young adult needs in order to become independent. Being surrounded by other young adults with similar problems and goals and trained staff dedicated to helping your young adult reach his or her goals often motivates students in ways not possible without this support.