Emancipation

78% of 18 year-olds in Foster care end up either incarcerated or homeless within two years of “aging out” of the system.

Gulp. Are you looking for a reason our jails are overcrowded? 

The outlook for the 30,000 foster children in the United States who ”age out” of the system each year is bleak, according to a study led by University of Washington School of Social Work researcher Mark Courtney.

A young person in a foster home has the deck stacked against them to begin with, and this is the kind of future more than three-quarters of then have to look forward to. Our states, in a desperate move to save their budgets, are cutting even more programs to assist the transition. Halfway homes, college and technical school grants and counseling programs are all threatened over the next few critical years.

The solution? Hands down – the best possible answer is making sure these youth have a stable adult that will lead and advocate for them. 

There just aren’t enough social workers and enough hours in the day to assist these kids.  An adult - who has a sincere interest in preventing just one kid from repeating the cycle - has the chance of making a difference.

Finding a mentor who provides “that backbone you need” has made all the difference, said Cameron Anderson, 21, of Tampa, Fla., who entered foster care at 15 after he got into trouble with the law, then lived in group homes.

Last fall, Cameron was introduced to his mentor, an investor in Tampa, through a program called Connected by 25. The two now speak daily, Cameron said, discussing “school and life in general, even to the point where he’ll say, ‘Hey, are you using protection?’ ”

Had he had such a relationship earlier, Cameron said, “it would have saved me from a ton of bridges I’ve had to cross.”

A Montana social worker, Matt Anderson, is on a mission to educate the public about the pitfalls of American foster care, especially older children about to age out of the system.  Matt is working to complete the documentary “From Place to Place” that follows teenagers who have turned 18 and left foster care.

He says, “the kids I worked with had an endless trail of disrupted relationships and very little contact with their biological families.”  Then, he says, ”since aging out, many of these kids have gone on a journey to find their families.” “Unfortunately, the trail of disrupted relationships has continued. Human beings have an undeniable need to be connected and our most natural connection systems are our families. But when kids enter the system they often become very disconnected, which I believe is at the root of their behavioral outbursts, emotional instability, academic struggles, and other issues.”

Mentoring gives foster care teens a listening ear and a friend to guide them through their struggles. Mentoring relationships begun while foster care kids are in their mid-teens can be beneficial as the kids become more independent. Consider these mentoring possibilities:

• Mentor through the internet. VMentor.com allows mentors to form relationships with a foster care teens aged 16-23. This virtual mentoring system matches teens and mentors according to their interests and career aspirations. Each week, mentors communicate with their teens completely through email.
• Mentor through a local organization. Many local foster agencies provide mentorship programs for kids in foster care. These programs are often flexible, and allow mentors to set their own appointments according to their schedule. Simply call your nearest foster care agency to find out what opportunities are available.
• Mentor through a college program. College can be a challenge for foster care teens that don’t have home support. Ask the guidance office of your local college if the school provides a mentoring program for incoming foster care freshmen.

 

I currently mentor a 13 year-old girl who lives in a foster home with her twin sister. She is amazingly well-adjusted, but can’t understand why she can’t live with her biological mother. I don’t know either, and I don’t really want to know. Instead, I hope I give her a constant relationship in her life that provides stability. I track her progress in sports, school and socially. I never make judgements, but I let her know that each of these things are important to me. It’s not my role to punish or reward her. I am the one person she know will be there without exception. And, she says, that’s enough.

Think about mentoring…  The rewards are – like the commercial says – priceless. Both for you, and the youth you mentor.

Just a pair of shoes…

Just a pair of shoes...

Do you know what podooconiosis is? I didn’t… but now that I do, I almost wish I hadn’t heard about it. Remember the creepy pictures of people with elephantitis that you’d see in medical journals?

“Podo,” as it’s referred to, is basically the same thing. It’s a disease that affects the feet of people without shoes. Podo is caused by barefoot exposure to red clay soil and is completely preventable by wearing shoes. In Ethiopia alone, it is estimated that 11 million people are at risk, with between 500,000 and 1,000,000 people already affected. In the densely populated southern Ethiopian region of Wolaita, Podoconiosis is more common than HIV infection.

The symptoms are grossly enlarged feet that are often affected by painful ulcers and infections.  Many locals believe that Podo is communicable, so a social stigma associated with the disease.

TOMS Shoes is working to prevent Podo by giving durable footwear to all early-stage and at-risk children in the hazardous areas of Ethiopia. It’s such an easy solution to such a painful problem. Won’t you visit TOMS’ website and consider making a donation?

Please visit http://www.friendsoftoms.org/

Keep it real and don’t give up

The high school youth at the church I attend are often from families that have been displaced. The poor economy has resulted in foreclosures on homes and apartments they were renting. Most are making it – but just barely. Often they are doubling up with another family in a residence that is even too small for one family.

An interesting exercise we use with the youth is asking them what they believe their “gift” is – what are they particularly suited to do. Shy at first, and then more bold – several acknowledge that their gift is in the arts, including music, acting and drawing. The opportunity to speak out loud about their passion is important. The lack of permanent housing is considered a barrier to growing their gift. We work with them and encourage each to find a way to express the interest and grow it through classes, mentoring or just reading books about it. The kids are now seeing opportunities where they use to think there were none. We also work with the parent(s) to encourage their children’s dreams – in spite of the challenges in front of them and their current living situation. Watch this video produced by an urban program called Reciprocity Project.

If you have a similar program in your community, ask how you can get involved. The young person with a mentor is 80% more likely to avoid the social welfare system than the kids without one. Don’t have time for a volunteer mentoring project? Many schools have a program to encourage youth in different careers. Sign up to speak about your job and life choices. Even a brief interaction with a young adult in crisis can make a difference.

What are you doing in your community?

It takes a village to raise healthy locally-grown fruit

Farm workers in Yuba and Sutter County in Northern Calif. have a place to go for the many challenges that face them day-by-day. Of course, the winter months mean not only limited employment, but also increased gas & electric bills, poor living conditions and health care issues. Western Farm Workers Association is community-based operation that survives on donations and volunteers only. They provide in-take interviews for each individual, provide emergency food if necessary and address the concern of each person on a case-by-case basis. They also help the local community celebrate the holidays, with gifts for children and dinners that serve up to 400 people.
Let us know if you’d like to learn about ways to help some of the people who are responsible for putting healthy fruits and vegetables on your table.

Winning From the Ground Up

I’m working with a coalition in Sacramento, with a vision of building Complete Streets in the metro area. I believe in the organization’s mission for a number of reasons. Here’s one of them.

First – Complete Streets means safe streets for walkers, school children, bikers and even motorists. The actual design of a sidewalk and intersection can either encourage folks to be on the street, or to jump into their vehicle and drive to even the closest destination, maybe four or five blocks away. Those who advocate for Complete Streets, ask that the needs of all who use it be considered in equal portions.

If you’re a parent, you’re well-aware of this, but when I have to drive past a schoolyard during morning or afternoon hours – the bottleneck of vehicles is amazing. Not only does is create really poor air quality for the kids jumping in and out of cars, but it statistically improves the chances of an accident – or even worse, an injured child.

Imagine, if you will, a safe traffic area for students so walking and biking to school is actually preferable. And I mean preferable to the kids, in addition to the parents — by providing intersections that discourage vehicle traffic and encourage foot traffic. Lanes that allow bikes true right-of-way and cars are considered secondary. Kids that arrive from distant home locations where cycling or walking are not an option, can safely disembark from the car a few blocks away, because designers of surrounding walkways provided adequate safety measures for the walking commuter. So, I hope you get my drift…

But the add-on benefit is the additional exercise for your kid. There’s a myriad of electronic devices that can take over a kid’s life. Often the need for fresh air and exercise becomes an afterthought. One of the biggest issues facing school age children is obesity. Walking and cycling to school provides some exercise and encourages social interaction away from gadgets.  When bike-riding kids get together, they find the fun in showing off, racing or (dare I sat it) flirting! It encourages more interaction with people and thereby building friendships and social networks.

I’ve just started working with Complete Streets, so I’ve got more to learn. So far, there seems to be some solid reasons to become an advocate. There’s an interesting article from the Brookings Institute: Sacramento’s Transit-Oriented Development Plan. Sacramento can lead the nation in being a walkable, transit-friendly community. But the infrastructure needs to be from the “ground up.” It’s not too late, but we must start now. Please share your thoughts and comments.