Using research to support youth in Government Care.
Home Life
Moving out or living on your own for the first time can feel exciting—and overwhelming. This section covers things like how to find a place to live, pay bills, clean and cook, and deal with roommates or landlords.
Money
Let’s be real—money stuff can be confusing. This section breaks down how to make a budget, handle bills, save, deal with debt, and understand things like credit and taxes.
Health
Taking care of yourself matters—body, mind, and spirit. Here, we talk about mental health, physical health, accessing healthcare, sexual health, and more.
Relationships
You’re not meant to do this alone. In this section, we explore friendships, dating, family, boundaries, conflict, and finding support. We also talk about how to build safe and meaningful connections in your community.
Next Steps is a project made by and for young people who have been in government care. We’re creating real, useful tools to help with everyday life—things like housing, money, health, and relationships. You’ll find videos, stories, and other content that’s honest, easy to understand, and based on what youth say they really need. Next Steps is all about support, community, and helping young take the next steps in their own way.
What's New.
What’s Next: Seeking Funding & Youth Advisors
June 30, 2025
While research takes time, we’re already thinking ahead! Over the past months, we’ve been applying for additional grant funding to support the next big step: turning all this insight into a full, youth-designed digital life skills resource.
We’re also starting to plan for the Next Steps Youth Advisory Council for the 2025–2026 academic year. We’ll be recruiting five youth advisors who will help guide the project and shape the life skills resource. Advisors will commit about 3 hours per month and be paid $25/hour, with chances to take on additional opportunities (like co-creating videos, writing content, or attending training).
If you’re a young person with lived experience in care and want to get involved, check out the “Apply Now” link on our website.
We can’t wait to build this with you — more updates soon!
Where We're At: Wrapping Up Phase 1, Moving Into Phase 2
May 31, 2025
We’re excited to share a quick update on the progress of the Next Steps project! Phase 1 data collection is officially complete — a huge thank you to all the young people who participated and shared their insights. Your contributions are already helping to shape something meaningful. Our research team is now busy analyzing the results from this first phase while also continuing with Phase 2 data collection over the summer of 2025.
We’re incredibly grateful for the support that’s helping this work move forward. Special thanks to:
MacEwan University’s Thematic Area Research Grant, which is helping us keep the research going strong;
The Faculty of Health and Community Studies Supplemental Grant, which made it possible to hold focus groups with youth-serving professionals; and
MacEwan’s Community-Engaged Scholarship Grant, which helped us build this very website, so we can keep everyone updated in real time.
Stay tuned as we move forward together!
We’re looking for volunteers because Next Steps is all about working with youth and community—not just for them. Whether you’re a young person with ideas, lived experience, or creative skills, or a community agency that wants to support youth in new ways, we’d love to team up. Help us create real, useful content—or help spread the word so it reaches the people who need it most. Your voice, your story, and your support can make a real difference.