Voices of Foster Youth

Emma is one of four siblings who asked to be adopted together, due to abusive and neglectful parents. With support from the Kansas Department for Children and Families, the couple was able to keep a group of four siblings together.

Daniel was initially placed into foster care at age seven when his biological mother would disappear from home for weeks and months at a time, but was eventually reunited with his mother. Unfortunately, within two months, he was back in foster care and needed surgery, all while his biological mother said she didn’t want anything to do with him. Daniel was able to stay with a foster parent who guided and cared for him for around fifteen years, before they became his legal guardian.

Alyssa was in and out of foster care since birth. At the age of eleven, her mother was deported and her stepfather’s alcoholism put her back into foster care. Feeling powerless, Alyssa was bounced from house to house, letting her guard down only for something to happen to put it back up. Peace for Kids took her in, gave her support and put her on a solid path.

Josh and Diana have been foster parents for four years. They originally planned to adopt, but decided to become foster parents. Throughout that time, they have had 10 children become part of their family at different times, including a teenager whose life they changed around. Throughout their foster parent journey they have adopted four children.

Walter entered foster care at one year old after being abandoned at a motel. His foster mother took him in at two years old. When Walter became a teenager his foster mother became sick and he cared for her. He always knew he was loved by her, but for the first time he felt like he was in the role of a son rather than a foster kid. Walter recently graduated with a Master’s degree in social work from Clark Atlanta University.

Royce was in and out of care from the age of two, ending up back in foster care at 14 due to his mother’s drug, alcohol and physical abuse. He moved homes every year, and was eventually taken in by a friend’s grandparents who told him they wanted him to be ‘one of their boys’. Royce is now in his final year of college in Oregon and writes a blog on how growing up in foster care isn’t a normal way to grow up.

JJ was neglected as a child and had to care for his younger siblings at the age of eleven. After moving six times in six months, JJ finally found a family just when he thought he would be going back to a shelter.

Julius Is the first individual in the video, and he talks about some of the challenges and emotions he felt in the foster care system and some of the feeders he had towards aging out before being adopted.

Amanda also spoke about difficulty with trust, but the fear of being kicked out of the system with no one how she hopes to help kids in the future, her caseworker and family gave her hope.

Adrian tells his history and how he ended up aging out of the foster care system. He speaks about the challenges of being alone and having to manage the requirements of an adult when he had no one to show him.

Nancy spoke about the fear of aging out and living on the streets. She talked about how she was very excited about the opportunity to be adopted but how she also tested them in the beginning to make sure that they would be a forever family.

Renee spoke about her previous fears of being adopted and the challenges that arose from aging out of the system and not having the support as an adult. She explains some of the ways she managed to navigate those issues as they arose but recommends being adopted to have that stability in the long run.

Lacey and her foster mum opened up about Lacey’s experience before coming into foster care. She shared about the difficulties living with her dad and then with her biological grandmother after being abandoned there by her father. She then explained why CPS was called on her brother at school and how she entered the system with her siblings. She explained how they soon came to live with her now-adopted parents.

This video is about a fantastic family and their journey in growing their family step-by-step through foster care and adoption. They introduced their kids and explained how they entered the family. These parents had a passion for providing a home for sibling groups. I worked hard to keep as many siblings as they could. They explain how many children often came into their lives when they were not expecting it and how each child fits well into their home.