The voice of experience resounds, and those who hear it are most likely to take its message to heart.

And nobody is more hungry for good advice, and the moral support of someone "who's been there," than a foster child on the brink of leaving the nest.

Current and former foster children, ages 14 to 24, will gather today at the Youth Strand for Foster and Former Foster Youth, part of the 10th annual Hawaii Foster Parent Association Conference at the Sheraton Waikiki (foster teens can still call 255-8365 to attend). It's a welcome opportunity for foster youths to learn about the basics of adult survival from a critical source: their peers.

Coming of age is a frightening prospect under the best of circumstances, but these teenagers approaching adulthood certainly feel even more shaky about their prospects for success and happiness.

Foster children frequently have been bounced from family to family, a series of upheavals that can all but destroy their capacity to bond normally with others and find a secure haven in the world.

The foster parent association aims to provide better training for couples so that they will be prepared to help a child chart a course to survival, navigating through their feelings of abandonment and despair.

It's critical work that demands support from social service agencies and everyone associated with the care of these children. These children deserve a fighting chance at success and all the help we can muster.