Ronald – Foster Care Teen, Advocate, and Volunteer

May is National Foster Care Awareness and The Teen Toolbox will dedicate our blog as a platform for teen males in the foster care system to share their stories of triumph and success.

Ronald Hennig is focused, motivated, and wise beyond his years.  He is a soon to-be 18 year old male in the United States foster care system in the state of New Jersey.  Ronald is a strong advocate for older youth in the system.  He is especially passionate about raising awareness about the challenges that teen males in the foster care system face.  In fact, Ronald agreed to be featured on The Teen Toolbox blog because he believes that teen males in foster care are an especially neglected population.  I agree.

Give To Youth In Foster Care This Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day is usually a holiday that you love or hate.  Remember kindergarten when everyone in class received Valentine’s Day cards and gifts?  I received Valentine’s Day gifts from my mother into young adulthood.  I have done the same for my daughter (her Valentine’s Day packaged arrived at her dorm last week).  For me Valentine’s Day is a day to say I love you in a special way.   For many unhappily single people it is an unwelcomed reminder from a society that portrays one as incomplete if they aren’t involved in a romantic relationship that they are alone.

Foster Teens: Handle With Care

Resilient – rebounding; recovering readily from adversity; returning to its original form after being stretched or bent

Do you recall your teen years with favor and joy?  For many of us adolescence was a challenging time.  Acne, raging hormones, peer pressure, and uncertainty plagued many of us.  Although we may have had the body of an adult, our teen brains had not fully developed.  Our views were shaped by other teens that were just as unsure of where they fit in the world as we were.  We were stuck in an unfamiliar place — no longer children but not yet adults.

Stability and positive discipline help teens thrive. Rules and boundaries offer safety and security.  Rules and boundaries also show teens that someone cares about their present and their future.  The obstacles in adolescence are often magnified for youth who are a part of the foster care system.  Think about it.  Who do you trust when you are unsure of how long you will live in the place where you are right now?  Who can exhibit patience and understanding to help you overcome abuse, abandonment, or apathy?  Who do you believe really “has your back” when you have lived in 3 different places in the last year and a half?

How Will Your Youth Serve?

In our work world, evidence-based practice and evidence-based research are King.  Objectives, outcomes, and goals are commonplace.  In my supervisory role I stress that we have to have proof that we are doing really works.  I am a huge proponent of civic engagement and so as I was thinking about the upcoming Dr. Martin Luther King Day and the Youth Service America kick off a semester of service I decided to go a bit further and hit the internet to provide you with documentation that supports what I’ve seen in my experience and know in my heart is an effective aspect of youth development.