Giving back is at the heart of KO Photos. From 2019 until 2023, I partnered with Grow Our Kids – to help combat childhood hunger.

Starting in 2024, KO Photos is proud to now support Raleigh’s vulnerable youth transitioning into adulthood through Open Table. (Referred to as Transitional Age Youth below.)

Transition to adulthood is a complex task for almost all young people. This same transition to adulthood becomes even more difficult for youth transitioning from systems (foster care, juvenile justice, mental health, etc.). The majority of these youth and young adults are faced with homelessness, addiction, incarceration, lack of job skills and unemployment, health concerns, as well as isolation, loneliness, and vulnerability to human trafficking.

Relational poverty is one of the most daunting challenges faced by youth aging out of foster care. For Transitional Age Youth who do not have 1 of the 3 permanency outcomes supported by the child welfare system that provide long-term relationships (1. reunification 2. kinship care/guardianship or 3. adoption) – their human potential and hope for a bright future can be diminished.

Three elements create permanency for Transitional Age Youth through the Open Table Core Model:  Relationship, Reconciliation and Restoration.

How does it work?

Through Open Table, community members are trained to use their vast relationship capital and social networks (Open Table has named them Relational Assets™) to develop relational permanency for Transitional Age Youth.  Volunteers are trained to form a “Table” and develop long-term relationships with the “Friend” — the person they are serving. Together Table members and the Friend access their social networks to support implementation of the Friend’s “Life Plan.” Tables range from 4 to 6 volunteers. Over the course of a year, Tables meet regularly and also share friendship and activities outside of Table meetings. At the end of twelve months, Tables form an “After Plan” that defines the ongoing, supportive relationships developed through the Table.

See an example of a Table below!

Example: A Friend (the youth in need) needs a different housing situation. The volunteer Table members will brainstorm possible solutions with the Friend based on their own relationship and social capital and then access their networks to help the Friend develop a plan and finalize a solution.  

If you’d like to work directly with Open Table reach out to support@theopentable.org.