1 / 17

Navigating Life as a Former Foster Youth: A Personal Journey of Resilience and Connection

Crystal L. Williams, a former foster youth and founding member of EmpowerMEnt, shares her inspiring story of overcoming adversity. From moving through shelters in Memphis to finding support and mentorship in Atlanta, Crystal's journey highlights the challenges faced by disconnected youth in foster care. Despite earlier hardships, she excelled academically and is in the ongoing process of reconnecting with her biological family, while maintaining relationships with her adoptive family. Through her advocacy for youth empowerment, she emphasizes the importance of social capital and accessible support services to help foster youth achieve their goals.

gwen
Télécharger la présentation

Navigating Life as a Former Foster Youth: A Personal Journey of Resilience and Connection

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Let’s Get Personal! Personal Perspective from a Former Foster Youth

  2. Crystal L. WilliamsFounding Member, EmpowerMEntAuthor Youth Advocate Public SpeakerBusiness Owner

  3. MY STORY • Memphis to Atlanta age 9 • Shelter to shelter • Never attended the same school • Entered foster care at 10 • Disconnected from: • Extended family Support • Siblings • Mother • School • Community

  4. MY STORY: RECONNECTED • Supportive home • Encouraged to participate in activities (School, church) • Excelled in school (Graduated from HS, college) • Located areas on interest • Reconnecting with biological family: STILL IN PROGRESS! • Maintaining connection with Adoptive family

  5. ADULT ADOPTION: ITS POSSIBLE!

  6. Disconnected Youth The foster care/adoption experience can make it difficult for young people to trust and to connect after a traumatic event occurs. • Youth may experience: • Physical aggression to adults • Sexual acting out • Eating disorders • Conduct disorders • Hyperactivity • Withdrawal

  7. SOCIALCAPITAL FAMILY SCHOOL “Social capital is comprised of social networks and social relationships, a bonding between similar and a bridging between diverse people.* *Adler & Kwon, 2002; Dekker & Uslaner, 2001; Uslaner, 2001 COMMUNITY PEERS

  8. DEVELOPMENTALLY APPROPRIATE SUPPORTS AND SERVICES • Graduated Independence • Mentors, Communications to build social capital • Strategic investment in a young person’s future • Young people as drivers • Challenging a young person to reach goals (WTLP)

  9. GRADUATED INDEPENDENCE • Providing youth the tools and resources to live inter-dependently • Connected by 21 (CB21) must look different • How to connect to community (bridging and bonding) • PROGRAMS ARE NOT ENOUGH!

  10. RECOMMENDATIONS • Youth are empowered to complete college/trade/employment • New measures are put into place to ensure that ALL YOUTH have access to developmentally appropriate housing that is safe, sustainable, and stable • Youth obtain Employment and Job seeking skills that are dynamic and transferable • Educational goals are assessed on a case by case basis • Emphasis on social/emotional healing to promote network building and community connections • Transitional resources for all youth regardless if they choose to go to school or enter the workforce directly

  11. QUESTIONS?

  12. Leave your mark in INKImagineNationsKreative.com

More Related