Building a Brighter Future in Detroit: The Austin Foundation's Mission to Equip Teens with Life Skills

Students can feel like they’re taking a massive leap forward following high school. The vast world can overwhelm with seemingly endless career paths, life tasks, and adulthood responsibilities. It’s no wonder recent studies and polls consistently reveal teenagers feel unprepared for the future.

A 2023 financial literacy report from Ramsey Solutions revealed 88% of adults didn’t feel high school fully prepared them for how to handle money. Additionally, federal data identified more than half of young adults ages 18-24 report anxiety about navigating their futures.

Alleviating these issues requires development that extends beyond a standardized classroom. In Detroit, The Austin Foundation implements early exposure to adulthood responsibilities to bridge that massive leap teenagers take into the world. Rather than fall into knowledge gaps that can occur after high school, the non-profit organization’s Becoming Young Adults program paves a robust path for teenagers to transition forward.

The Austin Foundation’s impact stems back to the work of Southwest Detroit Pastor William and Sandra Austin. The two were long-standing community pillars focused on fostering progress and helping those in need. Following their passings in 2006 and 2007, the foundation later launched in 2013 in their honor and is now run by their granddaughter, Cydney Hill.

“Whenever anybody needed anything, they were the go-to,” Hill said. “We still have that same vision for The Austin Foundation now, to be the pillar they were in the Southwest Detroit community. We want to be that for youth in Detroit.”

The Becoming Young Adults program advances William and Sandra’s passion for community by providing direction for students into adulthood. Entering its second year, the program assists students to transition out of high school — and financial literacy and mental health are major program components. This year, the non-profit will run as an afterschool program at Life Remodeled’s new opportunity hub located at the former Dominican High School and Winans Academy.

As President and CEO, Hill runs the non-profit with five of her siblings. They constructed the program by leaning on their own experiences. She recalls being on her own for the first time and undergoing various rigorous processes, like applying for an apartment for the first time, and facing uncertainties, like how to manage scholarship money. The situations they lived through now inspire the program’s content.

They impart these many, and oft-overlooked, nebulous adulthood processes that potentially fluster young adults by forging connections with the students. In formulating this program, Hill and the foundation knew their ability to resonate with the students hinged on relating and engaging with them.

“We want to make sure the things we are doing relate directly to what students are facing and experiencing today,” Hill said. “We don’t want to be so far removed from our students. They are listening to what we are saying in a meaningful way.”

Interactive scenarios help achieve these connections. The program exposes students to adulthood responsibilities through simulations. Replicating the steps of applying for an apartment — like attaining all the required documentation — reveals the various nuances associated with these processes. The program is designed so it remains relevant whether the student plans to attend college, undergo a trade program, become an entrepreneur or enter adulthood some other way.

Entering year two, it’s evident the program operates effectively as Hill said students started asking the school where The Austin Foundation team was and if they would be returning. It’s only the nascent form of the program, however, as Hill aspires to grow it at scale to galvanize greater guidance.

She envisions summer programs that become customized to the pathways the students identify and seek. While financial literacy and mental health awareness would remain the program’s core, The Austin Foundation wants to expand via collaboration with various trade and community programs to better cover the ample pathways into adulthood.

For example, if a student identifies a desire to become a mechanic following high school, they go through Becoming Young Adults, which then seamlessly connects them to a mechanic workshop to receive certification. It’s like taking “Adulting 101” to gain real-world skills and knowledge as a prerequisite step in career pursuits. The Austin Foundation ultimately strives to prevent young adults from feeling overwhelmed while chasing their dreams, no matter the dream.

Growing the program’s influence and infrastructure does require volunteers — and it’s a network Hill and The Austin Foundation are currently building. Volunteers not only help with fundraising for the program — like working concessions at Ford Field — but also provide established voices to speak about their different careers, which further divulges the adult world’s many intricacies.

Inquire about volunteering at volunteer@theaustinfoundation.org. Impact can also be made through donations or partnership. Donations can be made online. Contact hello@theaustinfoundation.org for collaboration inquiries. 

Becoming Young Adults instills confidence among teens by equipping them with valuable soft skills in maintaining financial wellness and mental health. The world throws a lot at someone after high school, and The Austin Foundation wants to help comfortably corral it all in for Detroit teens.

“We are going to make sure you get there,” Hill said. “We’ll come meet you wherever you’re at. We’ll help mold you into what you want to be.”

Much like the teens who undergo the program, Becoming Young Adults and The Austin Foundation are just getting started in their mission.

Learn more theaustinfoundation.org.

This interview was conducted by the team at MLive.