I went through the CASA training a few years ago and was a CASA for one youth. The training was quite good and the local office here and the staff is very strong. Really fantastic program. I concur with the description and the responsibilities as they have been described but someone upthread mentioned seeing their youth once a month. The ideal (based on my local training) is to meet with your youth once a week. If you have a very busy high schooler, it may be less than that but that would/“should” be based on the youth’s scheduling limitations, not yours. That’s not to say that, should you go on a vacation or have a particularly busy week it’s a problem because it’s not. But, as a general guideline, the goal is to try to see your youth weekly. Also, we were asked to make a 2 year commitment. Ideally, one would consider staying with their youth until they age out of the system (could be 18 or up to 21 or 22) but that was only referenced once.
I found the concept more rewarding than how it turned out with my particular youth. In my case, after my training, I went to the CASA office and was handed about 4 folders and told that they represented the kids with the highest need and to see if I wanted to be paired with one. I was also steered to a 16 year old boy with a diagnosed severe mental illness. I only have daughters and no experience with MI so I really don’t know why I made a choice that turned out to not be a particularly good fit. I did my very best but my youth really just biding time until he turned 18 and could, basically, say FU to most of the adults in his life and attempt to be independent. He was always very kind to me but he was difficult to communicate with and not really receptive to a whole lot. I stayed with him until he turned 18, attended all of his court hearings, family meetings, etc. It was a huge education and, really, the program is a great one but the fit just wasn’t there.
I would recommend the program – at least going to an orientation – to anyone who has an interest in working one on one with disadvantaged youth. I have a keen interest in education and would have enjoyed helping a child navigate any issues with a school, special needs accomodations, etc. but that wasn’t part of what my youth needed. My background is in health care and I also would have been a help if my youth had a medical need but mine didn’t (not that I would wish that on anyone, of course). The needs my youth had weren’t ones that he had any interest in working on and, as he was 16, 17 and then 18, he couldn’t really be forced. I will say that I had not had any prior interaction with the courts and found that process fascinating.
I was also getting my certificate in college counseling from UCLA at the time and now volunteer for two NFPs as a college advisor to first gen low income youth. This seems to be a better fit for me but, really, the CASA program is a really meaningful, well run program offering a valuable service to a vulnerable population.