Vol. 4, No. 2 • Spring 2000

What the Public Should Know About Kids in Foster Care
by Keniel Simpson

Keniel, age 18, was one of five grand prize winners in the 1999 Awards for Youth in Foster Care contest. Sponsored by the Child Welfare Fund (an organization that helps those who help poor children and families) and administered by Youth Communications (publisher of Foster Care Youth United, a publication written by and for youth in foster care), the contest is open to youths age 12 to 21 who are wards of New York's foster care system. Awards are given to young people who have shown resilience, helped others, and achieved personal and academic success while overcoming the challenges of living in foster care.

I want people to know that young people who are place in the foster care system have as much potential and willpower as any "normal" person. I also think that people should acknowledge that foster care does not determine our future. Being an individual in care is just an element of our character, and not our character as a whole. We are people just the same. We, like everyone else, are trying to cope with life's everyday challenges. We are not blaming society for our unfortunate circumstances, and we are not rebelling. We, on the other hand, are trying hard to mend broken bridges. We are trying to solve unsolved mysteries. We are trying to determine the reason why our lives are altered.

I want people to just look at us. Look very long. Look very hard. What do you see? Do we appear to be different because we are in foster care? Is our appearance a little too much for you to handle, so you sometimes stereotype us and call us hoodlums or gang members? Does our power of endurance shock you? I want to know why you perceive us the way you do.

Despite our placement in foster care, we are not different. We are not aliens. We are not thieves, offenders, and disillusioned or malicious individuals. We are young adults with dreams, goals, and ambitions, just like you. We are from all walks of life, with different personalities and cultural backgrounds that might explain us at times. We are individuals and we want and shall be treated as such. We shall overcome all the adversities that presently plague our lives in the system and in society.

Guess what. Many of us have overcome. We are attending school consistently and we have shown progress. We have been exposed to college, and we are considering the possibilities of higher education. We believe that education is the key to success. We believe that success comes to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams. The sky is the limit and we shall take advantage.

For many of us who still have our biological parents, we want to be loved by them, touched by them, held by them, and mean something to them. People should realize we need that extra shoulder to lean on. We need a hand to catch us when we fall, and we need the love of those who genuinely care about our well-being.

Many of us in the system have dreamt of becoming significant and positive individuals in life. I will fight vigorously for this dream to become a reality. Fight to the end.... until there is a light, a star, hope, success, something, anything... that indicates that I have made my dreams concrete, undisguised, and a reality.

From Adoptalk, published by the North American Council on Adoptable Children, 970 Raymond Ave., Suite 106, St. Paul, MN 55114; tel: 651/664-3036.

Copyright � 2000 Jordan Institute for Families