Category: Foster Youth Internship

2010 FYI Hosts Chafee Panel

Last week, the Senate Finance Committee hosted a panel examining how Chafee has been working over the past 10 years.  Nicole Marchman, 2010 FYI and intern for the Majority Senate Finance Committee, took advantage of Chafee’s upcoming review by proposing this event.  She invited a panel of former foster youth to testify on the effectiveness of the Chafee program.  Each panelist was a member of CCAI’s 2010 Foster Youth Internship Class. Nicole also moderated the panel along with 2010 FYI, Markus McQueen.

Barbara Pryor, Legislative Assistant at Senator Rockefeller and  Laurie Rubiner, Vice President for Public Policy for Planned Parenthood served as respondents for the panel. Both served a major roll in passing the John Chafee Foster Care Independence Act in 1999.

LaTasha Hayes is finishing her junior year at California State University Stanislaus. She is swiftly approaching the age limit for her Chafee education stipend. LaTasha recommended extending the age beyond 23, which would account for youth who start school later than age 19.

Jeremy Long is a recent graduate from the University of Northern Colorado who has been fortunate to have only one placement during his time in the foster care system. Because Jeremy learned life skills from his foster mother, he didn’t need the funds appropriated by Chafee for adult skills classes. Jeremy proposed a screening for benefits needed by each youth so that no funds would be wasted when they could be supporting another youth in need.

Wendy Ruiz was denied Chafee funding when she started school in 2007 at Los Angeles City College due to budget cuts. In order to keep track of funds, Wendy proposed a database to track funds across states. This accountability would allow to know how many youth they are serving and how many youth are being denied.

Sam Martin grew up in kinship care in Seattle, Washington. Sam is passionate about bringing support to kinship care providers and youth in kinship care. These situations are often in just as much need of funds as foster care families and Sam believes they should receive assistance the Chafee.

 

Shades of Gray

I have been spending this summer in Washington, DC as a Foster Youth Intern for the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute. Foster Care Alumni of America scheduled and planned a boat cruise for a few of the foster youth interns. On this cruise, I had the opportunity to meet Brian Samuels, the Commissioner of the Administration on Children, Youth and Families. He was selected by President Obama himself to work in the Obama Administration. We began to talk at the beginning of the cruise. Some of the things we were talking about were related to the funding of the foster care system. I talked to him about the work I was doing in Rep. Jim McDermott’s (WA-07) office, which was focused more on extending the waiver program to Washington State. From then on we got into a very deep conversation about the real issue of foster care.

Initially Bryan told me that he was not convinced that the waiver program would bring upon the change that I had expected in the foster care system. He said that if states were not motivated to improve the system with all the funding they receive now; why would they be more motivated with looser uses of the money. When I heard that I changed my entire perspective on how I saw the financing of the system. It was clear that not everything was so black and white and what I thought was the solution turned out not to be the solution at all.

Bryan Samuels opened my eyes to the biggest issue of the foster care system. People will cross-reference and find data in all these different areas of the foster care system but that is the same as trying to compare apples to oranges. He said many of the issues that surround the foster care system cross multiple different issues. Bryan spoke to me about his experience about being the Chief of staff for the Department of Education. He talked about how in the education system people would figure out the problem but not focus on it. He correlated it to the fact that if kids don’t get to see siblings let’s not keep looking at why kids don’t get to see siblings. Let’s focus on allowing kids to see brothers and sisters.

This experience made me realize that I don’t have all the answers and also allowed me to expand my horizons. It was also a great honor to meet Mr. Samuels. It is also very good to be able to see the potential flaws in the suggestions I have made. I know that it doesn’t discredit me at all but I know now the other side of the argument and I can look for potential flaws in my proposal. Without the opportunity to talk to Mr. Samuels none of this would have been possible and the CCAI report would have been just a little less prepared. Thank you again Foster Care Alumni of America, Orphan Foundation of America, and CCAI.

2010 FYI Recognized by the St. Petersburg Times

The St. Petersburg Times recognized Nicole Marchman, one of CCAI’s 2010 Foster Youth Interns, for her involvement with their local nonprofit agency, Ready for Life. Nicole holds a youth council position for this non-profit, community organization that prepares foster youth for adulthood. CCAI is extremely thankful for Nicole and her continued commitment to using her experience in foster care to become a voice for children across the nation.

The black and white suitcase on Nicole Marchman’s bed was crammed with Beltway-worthy clothes she’d scooped up at discount prices. Marchman, 28, a recent University of South Florida honors graduate, was heading to the nation’s capital for a two-month internship. This was her life almost a dozen foster homes and 17 years since a social worker took her from her parents’ house clutching a black garbage bag stuffed with her belongings. She was 11.

Click here to read the full story at tampabay.com

The Beginning of Summer – 2010 FYI Program

On May 29th, 11 former foster youth boarded planes at different airports around the country.  Their hearts were beating fast and their minds raced as they dreamt about the 9 weeks ahead.   Many of them must have hesitated to even board the plane.  It must have taken an incredible amount of faith to spend the summer away from home, living with a person they had never met, and working in an office they could barely find on a map.  Even with all of this uncertainty, all 11 Congressional Foster Youth Interns arrived on CCAI’s doorstep and we were thrilled to welcome them to Washington.

Almost as soon as the interns arrived, we had them pack a weekend bag and head to Danville, PA for the annual retreat.  Once arriving in Danville, I think the interns understood why after all of these years, we still return to such a small town in the middle of Pennsylvania.  Danville is idyllic and although I have been there several times, I am still surprised at the town’s overabundance of smiles and waves.

FYI 2010 Interns in front of the Danville mural

This year was much like retreats in the past.  We spent time getting to know one another, discussing what mark each intern wants to make while in DC, and what fears the interns are facing as they reflect on the upcoming two months.  They arrived 100 W. Market Street in Danville as 11 different people and left as a one, united around the mission of making a difference for the hundreds of thousands of children in foster care.

After the retreat, we returned to Washington and began orientation.  CCAI does all it can to make sure that the interns are prepared for their Congressional internships.  In that vein, we planned several informative sessions like “Dress to Impress,” “Rules of the Road,” and “Safety First.”  We had guest speakers including the Congressional Research Service who conducted a two-hour training tailored specifically for our interns and their interest in foster care policy.  Additionally, we invited key Congressional staff, Administration staff, and foster care advocacy leaders for a welcome lunch to share tips on making the most of a Washington internship.

As the interns embarked on their first day of work yesterday, I cannot help but be a little envious of their time in Congress.  I know that each of them will have a unique experience in Congress and it will inevitably shape their future for the better.  I am still struck by the amount of courage it took for each of these young leaders to believe the voice on the other end of the phone guaranteeing a summer internship full of opportunity and excitement.  Lucky for us, these interns did believe us and in my short time with them, I know their determination to succeed will make this a fantastic summer.