Take control, Advocate for your rights, and Belive to Achieve!
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My name is Khadijah Wilson and I am 17 years old. I have been in the foster care system for over a year. My mother receives substance abuse treatment in West Virginia. She has been in recovery for over 8 months. During this time, I have only seen my mother once and that was by the help of my brother’s family members. CFSA is required to help maintain and build positive life-long connections with the teens/children biological family members.
My experience of being in the foster care system has been chaotic and stressful. I have no life-long connection with my foster parent. She has stated to me innumerable times that, being a foster parent is her job in order to make ends meet. Her objective is to make money, not to parent or be a positive role model in my life. Support within CFSA does not exist. I do not have the support that I need and that is required from CFSA. At one point, I was receiving transportation through CFSA. Due to the economic recession transportation, tutoring, and other programs for youth/children have been cut. If I did not advocate and fight to receive the means to get to school using public transportation, I would have to undergo another exhausting transition, from one foster home to another, as well as switch to another school, creating an educational gap I cannot afford.
CFSA has not shown consistency throughout my time of being in care. I personally went through a number of mentors, social workers, and programs CFSA has offered. It’s hard trying to build a relationship with someone in CFSA because they’re not guaranteed to be around for the long run. Youth within CFSA are lacking the support they need to achieve their goals as young adults. I have witnessed way too many youth in care my age, who do not succeed in high school due to the lack of effective parenting. Most youth in CFSA my age fail to complete high school, go to college, and even maintain a job. We often end up:
-Incarcerated
-Relying on welfare
-Homeless
-Or repeating the same poor family dynamics that lead us into care
As an artist, I am combining my passion for art with my experience of the foster care system, to create a nonprofit organization called “Foster Teen Expression.” Youth ages 14-18 within CFSA will be given the opportunity to express themselves artistically, using forms such as painting, drawing, poetry, and photography. I have recently had the opportunity to interact with other teens in care. We all found similarities in our difficult circumstances. This program will act as a support team, encouraging youth to build up and motivate one another. Their projects will help them cope with past and present traumatic experiences in CFSA. The end project will be displayed as a mural or show case, which will strongly advocate for the concerns and rights of youth in CFSA. This will give them the opportunity to take control of their lives, dream big, and not let any troubled circumstances hold them back.