You just have to raise your hand

January is National Mentoring Month meant to spotlight the importance of mentors and the need for each child to have a caring adult in his or her life.  While almost any child could benefit from having a mentor, one population that needs positive and genuine relationships more than anyone is children and youth in foster care.  Two of my favorite PSAs were produced by Casey Family Programs as part of their Raise Me Up campaign.  While the campaign’s website is no longer active, I was able to find the PSAs on Youtube:

One of CCAI’s own Foster Youth Interns from last year, Sam Martin shared about his own mentor saying, “He stepped into a father role for me.  He’s been there whenever I’ve needed him because he knows I don’t have any other support.  He is one of the reasons I flourished.  I really don’t know where I’d be without him.  He has changed my life.”

Studies continue to confirm this message–mentors make an important and lasting impact in the lives of children.  Children who are mentored are 45% less likely to use illicit drugs, 59% more likely to succeed in school, and 73% more likely to attain higher life achievement goals.

Be sure to visit nationalmentoringmonth.org to learn how you can get involved in mentoring this month!

The economics of adoption

An article came out earlier this week by Megan McArdle titled Abortion, Adoption, Supply and Demand that examined the link between adoption and abortion rates.  The author was arguing a claim made by a fellow writer, Andrew Sullivan, that promoting infant adoption is a feasible way to lower the abortion rate.  Sullivan wrote, “If the pro-life movement dedicated its every moment not to criminalizing abortion but to expanding adoption opportunities, it would win many more converts.”

McArdle responds, “I find it far-fetched that women are having abortions because no one is willing to help them give the baby up for adoption–there are lots of people and agencies that will not only help them, but pay a substantial portion of their expenses until they deliver.  They’re having abortions because pregnancy is physically uncomfortable, and there’s still a social stigma on women who carry a baby to term in order to give it away.”

Just a few months ago, the Center for American Progress released a report that seemingly aligns with McArdle’s viewpoint.  The report is titled The Adoption Option: Adoption Won’t Reduce Abortion but It Will Expand Women’s Choices.  In trying to educate readers about the abortion landscape, the report shared some statistics:

  • there are 6 million pregnancies in the U.S each year, almost half are unintended
  • 4 in 10 of all unintended pregnancies will end in abortion, roughly 1.2 million each year
  • 6 out of every 10 women who have abortions are already mothers
  • a mere 1% of all never-married women place their children for adoption

The report goes on to examine how prior to Roe v. Wade in 1973, the adoption rate was as high as 19.2% for white women, but fell to only 3.2% just fifteen years later.  The Guttmacher Institute writes that the decline in the adoption rate is affected by the societal shift in accepting single mothers, and that the abortion rate also fell during the same period time.  Because of this, the Institute points out that promoting adoption is not an effective strategy for reducing the abortion rate.

A few of the policy recommendations the report includes is that more research is required to best serve the needs of women considering adoption, along with greater awareness about the modern adoption system, and improved post-adoption services.

Do you know a former foster youth who wants to make a difference?

The deadline for CCAI’s 2011 Foster Youth Internship program is this Friday, January 7th.  The FYI program brings former (or current) foster youth to Washington, DC for a summer internship in a Member of Congress’ office.  During the program, interns gain valuable work experience while sharing their ideas for improving the foster care system with federal policymakers and advocates.  CCAI also coordinates events throughout the summer, including networking lunches to weekend retreats.  Please encourage the former foster youth you know to apply to this life-changing experience.  Here are what people are saying about the program:

 

“Spending all summer in Washington, DC advocating for foster youth all over the nation will forever be one of the greatest memories in my life” -Mason, FYI 2008

 

 


 

 

“CCAI opened doors and provided incredible opportunities for me.” -Keshia, FYI 2009

 

 

 

 

“The staff at CCAI and my fellow interns will forever be in my heart. This experience was nothing short of amazing.” – Markus, FYI 2010

 

To be eligible to participate, youth must have completed at least 4 semesters of college or vocational school by May 31, 2011, and must have spent at least 24 consecutive months in foster care at any point in their lives.  Visit the ‘Apply to FYI’ page for more information and the application.

If you missed the video about the program, be sure to watch it here.

Adoption! adoption! read all about it

This week, several news stories about adoption have appeared, from new celebrities showing an interest in adoption to a couple using a billboard to express their interest in becoming adoptive parents.  From North Carolina courts voiding an adoption by one of their lesbian state senators to a new Michigan law ensuring relatives are given special consideration when placing children who are in foster care.

While I could spend time commenting on any one of these unique stories, it’s this video that I’d rather draw your attention to:

This video was shared by Forever Family, whose founder Gia Tutalo-Mote was a 2009 Angel in Adoption.

It serves as a simple reminder that until each child has just that, a forever family, our work is not done.  Thank you all for your partnership and support of this past year.  We’re looking forward to continuing to be a voice for the world’s orphans in 2011, and hopefully celebrating new victories in our fight to ensure each child has a loving home and bright future.

 

This year, a home for the holidays

Be sure to tune into A Home For the Holidays which will air tonight on CBS.  This is the 12th annual special meant to raise awareness about foster care adoption.  This year will feature performances by Katy Perry, Maroon 5, Ricky Martin, Nelly, Melissa Etheridge, and 2010 Angels in Adoption gala performer, Jimmy Wayne.

I got to thinking about what this time of year means to children who were once bounced around in foster home, never belonging to a family or knowing the love of a parent.  I wanted to hear firsthand what it means for a former foster child to finally have ‘a home for the holidays’.  I reached out to one of CCAI’s 2010 Foster Youth Interns and asked him just that.  Here is what he said:

“I’ll be home for Chri…wait, will I? That is a question that so many children and youth in foster care wonder when this time of year comes around. All too often, people get lost in what the meaning of the holidays really is, and too easily take for granted spending the holidays with loved ones.  There are children in foster care who will be spending Christmas in a new foster home apart from siblings and any family they’ve ever known.

I was very fortunate to have been placed in a foster home with a lady who quickly grew to love, cherish, and treat me no differently than if I was her own child.  The love and stability and comfort I lacked growing up I found in this home.  Because of this, family is something that has been and will always be important to me.  But when I turn on the news and find out a foster youth took his own life out of loneliness and hopelessness the day after thanksgiving, I can’t help but think how we must be willing and commit to doing more for this country’s foster youth.

I think we all, no matter if you work in child welfare or not, need to look around at the people in our lives who may not have everything needed to enjoy the holidays.  We can all play a part in making the holidays a special time for everyone.  Just being able to turn to someone on Christmas morning and say exactly that, “Merry Christmas” is, in every sense of the word, the most meaningful gift.

Now here is what I want you to do.  I want you to go through your phone book and find a friend or a family member who you may of not talked to in a while, dial their number, and just talk to them. Say “Happy Holidays” and just listen to them.  Again, having the ability to talk to someone or possessing the feeling that someone really cares about you and loves you really brings back the true meanings of what the holidays are about.

As you enter 2011, think about what you can do for a child in foster care in your community to make sure this time next year, they have that person who loves and cares about them.

Happy Holidays, everyone!”

-Jeremy Long, 2010 FYI

CCAI wishes you all a safe and joyous holiday!

Breaking down the barriers to adoption

Yesterday, I shared with you the heart-warming story of one of CCAI’s Angels in Adoption who, because of the International Adoption Simplification Act, are now able to adopt the two older siblings in a group of nine brothers and sisters.  Prior to this law, intercountry adoption policy prevented children 16 and older from being adopted.  This new law allows children up to age 18 to be adopted along with their half or full siblings who are under the age of 16.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) who introduced this bill joined the family on FOX News earlier today to talk about this law and what it means to them.

An article came out today that further explains this new law, along with information about another new adoption bill, the Help Haiti Act.  The Help Haiti Act provides an adjustment of status to ensures citizenship for the Haitian children who were provided with Humanitarian Parole following the January 12th, 2010 earthquake.