SOAR partners with the key children service agencies in the Bay Area counties (e.g. Alameda County Department of Children and Family Services, San Francisco Department of Human Services) to identify candidates for our program. Responding to SOAR’s call for candidates, applications are prepared by the county social workers in conjunction with the youth and his/her legal guardian(s). Completed applications are forwarded to SOAR from these agencies for consideration. We do not consider applications submitted directly by foster families.
The selection criteria is reviewed and approved annually by SOAR Board of Directors, and the selection process is administered by the SOAR selection committee.
Once accepted, county children services agencies obtain the court releases and legal authorizations as needed to support their youth’s participation.
Effective September 2009, to apply for the Prepare To SOAR camp and become one of the first year students an applicant must meet the following criteria:
| Age | To apply for Prepare To SOAR Camp and become one of the first year students a foster youth needs to be in grades 6-8 (entering grades 7-9 in the next school year). |
| Residency | The applicant needs to reside in the greater Bay Area counties of Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, or San Francisco. Additional counties (such as Solano and San Mateo) will be added in future years. |
| Achievements | The applicant is required to have demonstrated an academic capability (C average and above) and be manageable in a group setting. |
| Releases and Authorizations | Liability and medical releases must be included in the application. Once selected, court releases (if applicable) and photo authorizations are required prior to camp start date. The photo authorizations are only needed once. That is, once given, they are applicable to all future camps. |
| Recommendations | An adult recommendation from a parent, legal guardian, social worker, teacher, CASA, or a legal counsel is needed. |
Once the youth successfully complete the Prepare To SOAR camp, the first year graduates will be invited to attend the Learn To SOAR camp in the following year. Similarly, the second year graduates will be invited to attend the Time To SOAR third year camp. Liability releases and updated medical releases are required every year. Court releases (if applicable) need to be in place prior to camp start date.
Selected SOAR third year graduates may be invited to become a SOAR camp youth counselor once they reach age 18.