Videos
Academics, Ex-Foster Kids Talk Solutions in New York City
Young people aging out of foster care face a multitude of obstacles, including unemployment and homelessness, health care access and education. Researchers, academics, practitioners and current and former foster youth came together to discuss transitioning out of the foster care system and some much-needed solutions to the complex problems.
You can view this piece at YouthToday.org and JJIE.org.
Positive + Policy
"If we can get these kids to believe, and if we can get these parents on board to believe, we can make these connections and we can make these families," says Amber Williams of You Gotta Believe! The Older Child Adoption and Permanency Movement Inc., an agency that focuses on finding lasting families for teens in foster care.
In a system rife with dysfunction and inefficiency, three women share personal experiences of foster care policy getting it right.
You can view this piece at YouthToday.org and JJIE.org.
Laid Back Guitars by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license.
Source/Artist: incompetech.com/
Music trimmed for time.
Powerful Voices of New York City’s Former Foster Youth
From loving mentors to abusive foster parents and indifferent social workers, a group of New Yorkers talk openly about surviving foster care and forging relationships.
"I never had that love and affection before, you know, and when I was searching for it, I got it all in the wrong places, " says one former foster kid, Rosie Williams.
You can view this piece at YouthToday.org and JJIE.org.
Watch What Happens When Former NYC Foster Kids Speak Truth to Power
You can hear the frustration — and need — in each of their voices as this group of young adults, who grew up in foster care, give youth workers some heartfelt advice on working with foster youth.
These current and former foster youth participated in a two-day gathering focused on transitioning from care, hosted at New York University. One emphatic reminder they offer: "These kids need more resources, these kids need more help, these kids need someone they can trust."
You can view this piece at YouthToday.org and JJIE.org.
Undercover Vampire Policeman by Chris Zabriskie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license
Source: chriszabriskie.com/uvp/
Artist: chriszabriskie.com/
Music trimmed for time.
Navajo Night by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license
Artist: audionautix.com/
Music trimmed for time.
Parenting in Foster Care
“It takes a two-generation approach,” say advocates and researchers, along with coordinated approach or one-stop resources for supporting pregnant or parenting teens in foster care. “The reality is, we are talking about having to serve two generations.” Practitioners speak up about reducing pregnancies and supporting young mothers in foster care in this new video.
You can view this piece at Youthtoday.org and JJIE.org.
Laserdisc by Chris Zabriskie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license.
Source: chriszabriskie.com/honor/
Artist: chriszabriskie.com/
Music trimmed for time.