TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – A new academy designed to help teens and young adults who have aged out of foster care is now open in Tallahassee.
A ribbon cutting ceremony was held Saturday at the Smart Dreams Academy on Jakes Patterson Street near FAMU.
It provides housing and coaching to teens who are now independent but could use some support and guidance navigating adulthood.
“Everybody knows that young people want to have fun but they have fun in the wrong streets. So here they can hang around some freshman, college students, people with like minds and have fun and enjoy themselves, while going through intense training to be the best they can be,” Smart Dreams Academy founder Mike Williams said.
Williams is a former foster youth who has been recognized by Forbes Magazine for turning his journey through foster care and homelessness into a foundation dedicated to helping other teens facing the same uphill climb.
New academy in Tallahassee designed to help teens who age out of foster care(Julie Montanaro/WCTV)
“I relate very much so to all of them,” Williams said. “Not just because we come from the system but because we all want to live our best lives at 18, 19 and we do the stupidest stuff. Party, drink, hang, misuse relationships, misuse opportunities. Here, we’re going to be able to help them embrace opportunities.”
The Smart Dreams Academy includes three buildings that house 15 young people. It features apartments with common areas for training, food and fellowship.
The Smart Dreams Academy stresses goal setting and financial literacy to help those 18-21 years old become self-sufficient.
Most will stay for about a year while working and attending classes, whether that’s high school, GED, college or trades.
Williams said the academy’s location near Florida A&M University is a highlight.
“I’m really speechless, not just because of the opportunity they’re going to experience here, but because of the community that’s going to wrap around them,” Williams said.
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