The COMPASS Project: A New Direction for Youth Aging Out of Foster Care

November 24, 2025

For teens preparing to age out of foster care, the path into adulthood is lined with barriers, limited resources, abrupt transitions, and the heavy weight of having to navigate the world without the steady support of family that so many of their peers have. Many carry not only the external challenges of the system, but internal walls built through years of instability. The Stephen Braggs Youth Foundation (SBYF), founded by former NFL cornerback Stephen Braggs, who now dedicates his life to mentorship and leadership development, launched a powerful new program designed specifically for teens transitioning out of foster care. This fall Candlelight Ranch became partners with SBYF to provide monthly weekend retreats focused on mentorship, life-skills learning, and a deeper connection with themselves, their peers and our natural world.  

Already, two successful weekend programs have shown what becomes possible when young people are surrounded by consistent support, caring mentors, and a place where they feel safe to spread their wings. A third retreat is planned for December, and retreats will continue monthly throughout next year. Already, these teens are expressing an eagerness for the peace, challenge, connection, and joy they’ve discovered at Candlelight Ranch. As some reflected: “This place is so fun, I am going to keep coming back” and “I feel good here”.  

These retreats are immersive, three-day, two-night experiences that blend adventure, learning, rest, and connection. From the moment teens arrive on Friday afternoon, a tone is established; intention-setting, conversation, and mentorship that continues long after each weekend ends. Shared meals, high-ropes challenges like the Power Pole, zip line and Canyon Crawl, kayaking and fishing on the lake, visits with the horses, drumming circles, and quiet moments beneath the stars. Days flow from morning motivation to team-building activities, nature-based exploration, life-skills & financial literacy coaching, and meaningful conversation. This combination of mentorship, outdoor exploration, structure, community and fun is why so many teens are already asking to return.

One of those teens is “Eli,” who arrived on Friday afternoon knowing it would be his final weekend in Central Texas before moving to East Texas. He came with purpose, choosing to be here, and ready to take on whatever the weekend had in store. And he did just that! Leaping from the Power Pole, traversing the Canyon Crawl, and soaring across the zip line with growing pride. Later, he reflected, “This is a good place.” For a young person who has rarely been able to choose where he feels safe, those words carry immeasurable meaning.

But perhaps the most powerful impact of these retreats is not found in a single moment, but in the gradual softening that occurs when a young person realizes they are surrounded by a community that genuinely cares. Something shifts, not only as trust builds, but as curiosity and excitement for the natural world begin to emerge. They point out bugs they learned to identify, teach newcomers facts about nature picked up during prior lessons, and eagerly engage and share discoveries made along the trail. For those who have had to harden themselves against the challenges of the foster system, watching them feel free to express wonder, enthusiasm, and joy simply because they feel safe enough is extraordinary. Here, they try new things, laugh openly, and slowly let their guard down. Their internal walls lower as they discover the freedom to learn, explore, and just be themselves.

Candlelight Ranch provides the grounding environment where this growth becomes possible. The beauty of the canyon, the rhythm of the drumming circle, the thrill of the high ropes challenge course, and the comfort of shared meals create a steady backdrop that allows teens to breathe, open up, and build confidence. The Stephen Braggs Youth Foundation brings the heart and continuity of the program, offering mentorship, leadership development, emotional guidance, life skills and resources that support each young person long after the weekend ends.

This fall, UT Austin’s SPARK Program also joined the partnership, adding a critical connective thread. SPARK, part of UT’s Steve Hicks School of Social Work, supports youth with foster care experience by providing mentorship, independent living skills, and higher-education pathways. Their team helps communicate this opportunity to case managers and new students navigating backgrounds in foster care, connecting them to the Braggs Foundation’s support network and ultimately to the retreat program at Candlelight Ranch.

Together, this circle of care provides foster teens with what they’ve often lacked: stability, belonging, and consistent adults who show up. Teens are not only participating, they’re asking to return. They talk excitedly about next month’s retreat, form friendships with each other, and build trust with mentors & case managers who continue to walk beside them.

These retreats don’t erase the hardships these young people have faced. But they offer something deeply transformative: a community that believes in them, a place where they feel safe, and a circle of support that doesn’t disappear when the weekend ends. Here, they discover courage, connection, and the possibility of something more. With the Stephen Braggs Youth Foundation, Candlelight Ranch, and UT Austin’s SPARK Program walking beside them, they begin to imagine a future they can step into with strength, knowing they won’t have to walk into it alone.