La Terra Cole

Having been in foster care for eleven years, I feel the frustration of many child welfare advocates when another news report comes out implying that foster youth are just poor abused kids robbing, shooting, vandalizing, or committing some other act of violence in retaliation for their upbringing. I myself have experienced the burdens of this stereotype. When being introduced to my friends’ parents I would fantasize saying: “Hi, my name is La Terra, I am in foster care, and no I am not a drug addict, criminal, teenage mother, thief, or any other description you may have heard on the news. Just La Terra.”

When I learned that ABC news would be covering the topic in a special report, my response was both interest and apprehension. The special, titled A Call to Action: Saving Our Children, aired Thursday June 1st on ABC's primetime news. In a letter, Diane Sawyer says her reasons for wanting to cover the story were the statistics. "Former foster youth make up 30 percent of the homeless and 25 percent of the prison population. What if instead of lurching from horror story to horror story, we agreed to do what works."

Damaging Stereotypes

A teenage girl plagued by sexual abuse, a 3-year-old imitating the dog believed to have raised him, and a teenage girl entering her sixth foster home as her mother promises to stay clean this time are all in need of genuinely caring individuals who are willing to help. These are profiles of some of the kids from the special. The message, best expressed by one foster parent, is: "These are damaged kids acting out and drifting from home to home because foster parents don't have to keep them."

In the past, similar stories have left me feeling as though they are holding children accountable for ending up in state custody. I cringe whenever I am confronted with the belief that all foster youth are delinquent or out of control. One aspect of this issue that I would have liked to seen explored is current and former foster youth who are successful in spite of the chaotic environment they've come from.

The extreme cases presented in the show are not representative of all foster youth. Anyone wishing to find positive examples can find them in every state -- on a youth advisory council, involved in national programs such as The Orphan Foundation of America, and former foster youth alliances such as Foster Club Allstars. Showcasing highly accomplished youth would have been another way of showing the public what kids need to grow, beyond foster homes – thing such as educational support and networking opportunities.

“Works of Art”
Following the Sawyer report, ABC aired a second report on June 2nd. This one described a nationwide initiative to find adoptive homes for older youth. The piece on the Heart Gallery pulled many heartstrings. The initiative organizes exhibits of photographs of older children in care, taken by professional photographers. Community members and child welfare advocates in 40 states have organized exhibits so far.

Photographer Jackie Mathay explained how she began volunteering for the program to show people what she felt was hidden from typical adoption photos. To be "no longer viewed as wards of the state, but works of art" is how she described what she and other world-renowned photographers want for these youth.

Because there is no central administrator, past organizers volunteer their time to help plan shows outside their area. Prospective parents can see a unique picture of each child and inquire about their case. One advocate said the Heart Gallery is responsible for a more than three hundred percent increase -- from 800 to 3,000 per year -- in adoptions from their region.

The program attempts to address the reality that older children in care have little chance of ever finding a family and many "age out"- the term used to describe growing up in the system until it is time to be released into the world at age 18 or 21. This life-style can mature kids far beyond their years. ABC took an extra to show a new side of these children, so often mistaken for the adults who have inadvertently aged them.

The goal of ABC's special was to show the nation how desperate the need is for dedicated foster and adoptive parents who are willing to provide the love and support all children need regardless of where they come from. Much of the resistance to fostering kids is the belief their behavioral problems will overwhelm parents. One thing prospective foster parents should consider is how unstable living arrangements influence other facets of children's development, such as psychological growth. By providing a true home, not just a temporary bed, foster families can make the adjustment much smoother, and with time some of the behavioral problems that are a symptom of displacement and uncertainty will ease. Too often, rather than focusing on solving the problem, the public gets caught up in the symptoms it creates. Behavioral problems should be viewed as a symptom of displacement that can be remedied with a stable family.

I hope other media outlets will join in and continue advocating for the nation's children to provide consumers and policy makers with a well-rounded view of what it takes to help foster kids become successful adults – the same things every child needs.

La Terra Cole is an Orphan Foundation of America summer intern in her last year of a bachelor’s program in psychology.