Looking Beyond the Statistics and Finding Hope for Youth in Care

Briana Osbourne is being honored as a Champion of Change for Foster Youth

Over 400,000 foster youth are in foster care across the United States of America, and each year over 23,000 young adults will emancipate or age out of the system and enter the world of adulthood. Statistics show that out of those who age out, one in four will become involved in the justice system within two years, more than 1 in 5 will become homeless after age 18, only 58 percent will graduate high school by age 19 (compared to 87 of all 19 year olds), and fewer than three percent will earn a college degree by age 25 (compared to 28 percent of all 25 year olds). Although many of us have dreams of pursuing higher education after exiting care, many more fall victim to homelessness, unemployment, and incarceration.

Some may consider this information unimportant when considering that current and former foster youth, like myself, make up a relatively small percentage of the general population. However, while we may be few in numbers, many of us experience more traumatic incidents involving abuse, neglect and exploitation before the age of 18, than many adults will face in a lifetime. Foster youth matter because many of us can be found in the faces of your classmates, colleagues, friends and even your family members. We are filled with untapped potential and hold the keys to the success of our communities and our nation.

Fundamentally, there is no difference between my educational journey and the countless youth in care that fall victim to those daunting statistics. As children, we held the same dreams, aspirations and many of us even shared the same classrooms. Conversely, I found solace in seeing those who share my experiences obtain success. I found mentors in individuals like my Court Appointed Special Advocate, foster mother and the numerous others that helped cultivate and encourage me to pursue my seemingly impossible dreams. Their assistance, coupled with the resources I was able to access, such as college-geared workshops, field trips and educational programs planted in me the seed that educational success was truly within reach.

I firmly believe that there is hope for many other youth in care, not just because of my own success, but because of the other foster youth I’ve seen defy the odds as well. There is a great need for more mentors, advocates and supporters of the groundbreaking innovations that are making headway in the child welfare system. There is a need for youth to be encouraged to voice their opinions and for their voices to be amplified. There is a need for more youth to be told that their lives matter, that their past doesn’t determine their future and that they too can be champions for future generations to come. There is also a need for more funding and educational programming that will allow our foster youth to obtain the knowledge they need to succeed. I am calling for more people to stand with me and begin the work needed to create change in our education system.

In everyone lies the power to create an impact. There is no one solution or quick fix to address the education crisis that youth in care face. However, with your help there is hope that each generation of youth will have a better experience than the last. All it takes is a willing spirit and a commitment to not turn a blind eye to the perils youth in and out of care face each day.

Briana Osbourne currently works as a Youth Peer Mentor at Visions Unlimited, Inc. in Sacramento, California. She is a graduate of Howard University.

Keeping Faith

Maria Burgos is being honored as a Champion of Change for Foster Care

Growing up in California and studying on the East Coast for the past five years has made me realize my story is unique. School, service, and faith have been my light, even when it appeared that I was navigating a seemingly endless dark tunnel. It is this perspective that I hope to leave as my legacy.

Permanency became a front and center issue when my former foster parents blatantly told me they would not support me with making the down payment on the summer home I was going to sublet. The National Human Genome Research Institute had offered me a paid fellowship and I needed financial assistance to make the first rental payment so I could move to Bethesda, Maryland. Upon turning to my foster parents for help, they gave several reasons as to why they would not help me, including that at my age, they were making payments on their own home with their pooled income. With no other options, I opened a Credit Deposit with all of the small scholarships I had won during my senior year of high school. I had initially set these to mature in four years, but decided to withdraw to be able to pay the first month's rent. It was then that I also signed up for my first and only credit card. Both of these elements made it possible to make it in the Washington, D.C. area until I received my first paycheck.

During my senior year, I began to panic about my post-graduation plans. I did not have a safety net. This was on top of the fact that the prior year, on my 21^st birthday, the Chafee Independent Living Services had been discontinued. It became that much tougher to remain calm because buying a good winter coat for all of the blizzards that hit the Northeast, medical treatments for unexpected pneumonia, textbooks, and even laundry would deplete my paychecks.

When I was younger and long-term foster care was the case plan goal for me, I was okay with the court’s decision. It was not until faced with my post-graduation transition that I realized a more solid foundation would have prevented a lot of panic attacks and bouts of anxiety.

I do not wish for another young adult to go through their college years choosing between paying for an asthma inhaler and getting a much-needed long-sleeve t-shirt. This is why I completely support President Obama’s efforts to allocate more funds to prevention services, to eliminate long-term foster care as case plan goal for teens, and to propose extending the Chafee Independent Living Services grant to age 22 when most students are seniors in college. This is less expensive than funding prisons or ongoing welfare support for unemployed adults.

Because of the experienced hardships that come from aging out of the system and because medicine is a respected part of the social structure, I plan to channel my energies and talents to capitalize on this platform to help educate stakeholders and legislators about the detrimental effects of foster care and poverty. This is why I want to be a pediatrician and part-time social worker. I wish help combat these educational and health effects by influencing policymakers to level the playing field and referring my patients to the educational, nutritional, legal, housing, and transportation services they require to ensure the best possible health and relationships. My medical expertise could then be shared with decision-makers to help improve the outcomes and the overall health and safety standards for minorities, foster youth, incarcerated populations, and the undocumented. I would also write articles on these intersections in order to assist in raising awareness on the distinct experiences faced by these populations.

I have the motivation to give my 110 percent and capitalize on various opportunities that can help me become the greatest public service servant I can be.

Maria Burgos is graduating from college in a few short days. She is a senior at Brown University.

Leave No Indian Child Behind

Daryle Conquering Bear Crow is being honored as a Champion of Change for Foster Care

Understanding your identity is important for any young person, whether or not they are in foster care. Culture is a big part of an individual’s development and identity. Although these issues of identity and culture are important for every child and foster child’s development, they are, perhaps, even more so for native foster youth. Native youth who are not in care and are connected to their tribe have opportunities to attend sweat lodges, vision quest, and various other native rites of passage that are important to the native culture. Many Native American youth in foster care do not get to experience these milestones in native life and lack a connection to their culture and identity as a result. The development of self-esteem as a Native American is critical for young people. Without cultural connections, native youth may suffer from low self-esteem. And if they return to their reservation after care, they can feel like a spectator, because they do not know how to participate in activities with the community, such as dances at pow-wows.

A sense of purpose is also important to the Native culture. In Native ways, the Creator has put us all here for a purpose and that purpose in life comes through milestones in a young Native person’s life. Native foster youth in non-native care do not get the opportunity to connect with the Creator during these Native ceremonies and events and they may struggle to find a sense of purpose as to why they were put here on earth.

My work over the last 10 years has geared to helping states understand why we need full compliance of the Indian Child Welfare Act. ICWA states, “It is the policy of this Nation to protect the best interests of Indian children and promote the stability and security of Indian Tribes and families” and “reflect the unique values of Indian culture.” The best interests of the Native American child include an understanding of his or her identity and connection to his or her culture as a native youth. Currently, however, ICWA is failing to provide this expressed best interest of every native child in care. Too many Native youth are not connected to their culture while in foster care and, as a result, many native youth exit out of care with unanswered questions about their identity.

I have had the opportunity to collaborate with national Native American organizations to speak out on youth development and the identity of our youth in care, the importance of cultural connections. My two most memorable internships included the summer of 2012 when I interned for United States Senator Tim Johnson (D-South Dakota). It was this summer that I was able to really sit down and talk to congressional members about the importance of ICWA and the identity of native children in foster care. I wrote a congressional report and presented it to numerous congressional members at the end of my internship. Following the summer of 2012, I interned for the National Indian Child Welfare Association, with the Government Policy department. There, I was able to fully dive into ICWA, work with numerous staff, tribal elected officials, and present the importance of ICWA. I believe the internship with NICWA has developed my professional career and love for youth development and identity.

The importance of keeping connected to culture and identity is important for any children and youth in care. My work will always continue to help the future generations of native youth. Decisions we make today impact the generations after us. Leave No Indian Child Behind; they all deserve a chance. 

Daryle Conquering Bear Crow is the Healthy Living Program Assistant at the Denver Indian Family Resource Center. He is a senior at Oregon State University.