FCC Testimonials

Eddie has been with the Foster Care Campaign for two years. When she first started working with us, she was quiet, shy, unfocused, and bouncing around from group home to group home. She was very bright but skipping classes and not motivated to complete high school or go to college. She was getting into fights with teen women in her group home and the staff. She moved from home to home. Finally we were able to transition her to a supportive group home, based on a youth development model and she is thriving.
 
 “I don’t know where I would have been with FCC. You guys helped me really turn my life around,” she said. “When I started here, I was so shy and afraid to speak in public. Now I am presenting testimony, talking to City Council Members, and teaching other teens that they can do the same thing. I’m ready to take on anything.” Eddie just graduated with honors and she has been accepted at University of Texas and will begin in fall 2008. She is outspoken, has testified in front of City Council twice to improve the conditions of group homes and has spoken to audiences of 100s about her experience in the foster care system and how she is working to improve those conditions. She is a vibrant, driven leader looking forward to her future.
 
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            Shiloh started working with us two weeks ago. She just graduated from Coolidge Senior High School but although she is very bright, she has not applied to colleges, received no educational support. She recently lost her brother (to violence), who was her closest relative and care giver. She is depressed, struggles with self esteem issues. She lives in a foster home but has a tense relationship with her foster mother, who does not provide adequate financial or emotional support. She received a high level of coaching and support as a YWP staff member and was able to take on several leadership roles in developing a youth handbook and organizing a training institute. “FCC really helped me to get focused and figure out what I wanted out of my life,” she said. “It meant so much to be surrounded by other young people in the system and to know that I was not the only one going through such hard times. You all gave me the support I needed to move on with my life.” With support at YWP, she was able to move through a lot of her emotional barriers and complete her application and acceptance to UDC – which she started this Fall. She loves her classes and is doing well.
 
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Sari is a 21 year-old foster youth alumni who was in the foster care system for 13 years. Since joining in March 2008, she has grown into a real leader. At first, she was aggressive and often interrupted trainings with interjections that made others in the group uncomfortable. Today, she serves as an example and a mentor for incoming FCC staff. She is usually the first to complete her work and often comes early to help prepare for trainings. She also patiently helps other youth in the group with their projects. Sari admits, “Before joining FCC, I was not focused and did not have much direction,” she said. I have learned to be focused and to follow through in my work. I also have a more positive attitude.”
 
Before joining FCC, Sari had no future plans or goals. She didn’t have a steady job and had dropped out of community college after a semester. She was angry at the foster care system for what she saw as abandoning her without enough support. Today, she has goals and has taken her share of the responsibility for her role in the foster system. She is going to school for construction so that she can be certified as a driver, and is moving towards her goal of living on her own and becoming independent. Sari has also vastly improved her communication skills. Upon first joining, she was uncomfortable speaking in front of the group and was often disrespectful and negative when asked to speak. She now enjoys expressing her opinions and even helping adult staff to facilitate FCC sessions. What’s more, she has taken these new skills home with her and improved her previously strained relationship with her biological mother. 
 
Although she has done a lot of work for FCC, she cites empowering other foster youth with knowledge and getting them involved in FCC as her biggest accomplishment. “I like helping other youth in the system learn more about their rights because I, as a foster youth myself, did not learn all the things I needed to learn. Now I want to help everybody get the knowledge they need to grow up to be successful.”