Approximately 20,000 youth age out of foster care every year without a permanent family.  Other youth are discharged from foster care before the age of age 18 and reunite with their biological families. Their family connections are often weak and these young people may quickly find themselves without a stable place to live. Another group of young people run away from foster care before they reach adulthood.  The bottom line is that teens in foster care have experienced numerous hurts and face a variety of obstacles.  Many have missed out on the guidance and skill building needed to successfully transition into adulthood.

Teens in foster care often require a combination of services to become productive, self-sufficient adults — mental health services, life skills, mentoring, employment preparation, educational support, housing, and medical coverage. If we continue to wait until they are standing at the exit door or months away from “aging out” to intervene, we will continue to have thousands of young people exit care unprepared for life on their own.  I believe that all young people who spend time in the foster care system after age 14 or the traditional age of a high school freshman should receive special attention, training, and support.  We can do it!!!

The Teen Toolbox provides “tools for teens to take charge”. We are huge proponents of the positive youth development model. In its simplest form positive youth development means that instead of focusing on risk factors and deficits, we focus on the strength and promise in youth. The positive youth development model suggests that helping youth to reach their full potential is the best way to prevent them from engaging in destructive behaviors. This approach asserts that young people need various services and supports as they transition trough different developmental stages. In order to build healthy, productive adults, communities and agencies offer young people the opportunity to engage by learning and applying essential life skills – leadership, advocacy, and self-efficacy.

A healthy community and a progressive movement have one thing in common – young people who are allowed to help make important decisions about their own lives, the services they receive, and the environment where they live. Who knows young people better than young people? Who better to discuss the issues affecting teens than teens? Teens gain confidence when they are given the opportunity and responsibility to be a part of the solution and aren’t viewed as problems or seen only as consumers of services. When teens engage in productive activities they begin to understand how they add value to the world.

If you spent your teen years like the average teenager, trying desperately to exercise your independence and separate yourself from your parents/families you may not understand why a 17 or 18 year old in foster care may want to be adopted.  If the primary goals for you or your friends as teenagers were to obtain a driver’s license, secure a later curfew, make your own money, and seize the opportunity to make your own decisions you may not understand why I advocate for additional support for teens who are aging out of foster care.  Many people believe that teens in foster care are set in their ways and unable to change or that they don’t like boundaries or can’t follow rules but I beg to differ.  Despite past challenges, disappointments, and displacements, teens in foster care want what we all want – to be loved, protected, and appreciated – they want to belong.

Every teen’s life is worth documenting.  That documentation can happen in a scrapbook, a journal, or as with many youth in foster care it happens in a life book.  A scrapbook contains an artsy collection of photos of (professional and unprofessional) special moments and fun life events.  A journal can contain personal ideas and thoughts about any topic that one is moved to write about. A life book chronicles personal life experiences including family background, housing placements, and medical history.  I recommend that all youth, including youth in foster care, document their lives with a professional portfolio.

A professional portfolio chronicles academic and career endeavors to give employers, recruiters, and athletic scouts a complete picture of who someone is.  A professional portfolio documents past achievements using employment tools, academic records, and documentation of civic engagement activities.  Although the process of creating a professional portfolio may be a little less artsy and free flowing than a scrapbook or a journal it can still be fun and creative.  A portfolio can provide a boost of confidence to a teen that browses through pages of their achievements and accolades instead of replaying mistakes and disappointments in their minds.  A life book may help a teen in foster care explore their emotions and better understand their placement in the system but recognizing their talents and strengths and documenting their past accomplishments and future goals can also provide similar comforting benefits.

We surpassed our National Foster Care Awareness Month First Annual Pack A Backpack Drive™ goal by collecting 46 backpacks filled with personal hygiene items to teen males in foster homes, group homes, and homeless shelters during the month of May 2012.  Thanks to our amazing donors, the backpacks were donated to KidsPeace, Prince George’s County Department of Social Services Independent Living Program, Hearts & Homes For Youth, DC Family and Youth Initiative and KOBA Institute, Inc, in the Washington Metropolitan area.  Brooke Boersma hosted a drive on the west coast and delivered 10 backpacks to Creative Alternativesin Turlock, CA.  Please our Pack A Backpack™ page for more information.

We are grateful to our generous donors. Thank you:

• Carolyn and Arthur Harris
• Laurie Laven Nardinelli
• Brooke Boersma
  
• Crystal Morgan Marable
• Laila El-Asmar
• Phyllis Lewis
• Patricia McBryde
• Katrina Carter
• Way of the Cross Church
• Erica Bigelow
• Julia Knight
• Kathy Bumpass
• Alicia Allen
• Bukky Kehinde
• Victory International Church