Getting Ready is more than a monthly newspaper on independent living -- it's a voice. For 18 years now, teens in foster care, the juvenile justice system, and Job Corps have been telling each other their stories of hardship and hard-fought redemption. Their voices are honest and hopeful and reaching out -- always reaching out.
Getting Ready gives teens the opportunity to tell their peers how they broke through from the impossible to the possible. Each story is unique, but they are all testaments to the courage, insight, and intelligence these teens have shown in choosing lives based on healthy independence rather than victimized dependence.
The newspaper features practical life-skills training in every issue about essentials such as jobs, health, money management, education, and social skills. And there's always a steady stream of poetry written by readers that makes it personal and relevant.
Joan Fisher is a provider and coordinator of independent living programs for youth in Albany, Oregon, and has been using Getting Ready with her students for more than 11 years. She says she can't imagine why any youth program would not use Getting Ready:
'This publication is the best one I've ever seen that is written by youth and for youth who are transitioning between being taken care of and taking care of themselves. It's such a great outlet for them to share their stories and creativity.'
She believes students become empowered when they read about other youth like themselves, who have been through tough times but worked hard to get to where they want to be. To her and the youth in her programs, Getting Ready is a pipeline for hope.
Joan uses every issue of Getting Ready to its fullest. She includes the issue's topics and titles in her grant's monthly progress report. And now, with the recent addition of a review questionnaire on the last page of each issue, she can track students' progress when they submit their answers to her. She even takes them out for a special meal whenever any of their stories, art or poetry gets published in an issue.
Countless federal and state agencies consider it the most affordable and effective service they provide their youth. Because of its reputation for straight talk about real issues facing youth, Getting Ready has become the nation's leading independent living publication.
