Some times I ask myself weather or not what i do makes a difference. Iether in my own life, or in my advocacy work, it's something that has always made me curious. I don't think the answer to this is an easy one. How do you measure the impact you have on another person. I can honestly say of the hundreds of youth I've interacted with this summer, I did'nt inspire a grand majority of them.
However, once in a while some one will come up to me and give me a note, start participating more in a workshop or share something personal and I'll know that I did something. I might not necisarily know what this is, just that something is happening. I'd like to imagine a butterfly effect from that moment where the things that were holding them back are replaced by the things that will help them suceed.
This is what I hope for all of the youth I've met, because there is not a single person Ive met that did'nt deserve better. A better/safe home, a family that loves them and obsticles that can be overcome. I've met some amazing people this summer, but when i take a step back I realize the harships they must overcome every day. Labels are a big one.
Some of the most promising youth I've worked with were the ones labeled as "difficult, or violent". The sad thing is, that is how i saw other people interacting with them.They no longer are they their name, they are the diagnosis. Instead of being a courageous youth with potential, theyre put in lockdown facilities to manage them, over medicated to be compliant and ignored, so that energy is'nt wasted on someone they don't think has potential.
Out of all the hard lessons I've learned this summer, this one has been the hardest. Hundreds of kids with potential that far surpasses their peers, are held back by the curcumstances they could not control. When I started this journey, I did so with a testemony and a research paper. That research told me that fifty percent of foster youth would be homeless and jobless as well as be more likely to be in prision before 21. I now know who those people are . They're the youth who I saw so much potential in. the ones who were thankful just to get out of the shelter for a day.
The girls and boys who shared their stories and cried during the post card project. The ones who participated in the workshops because it was finally something that gave them hope. These people deserve better then the statistics they are likely to fill. unfortunalty at the moment I dont know how to correct this. I only hope that what I've done has made an impact on them and that what I've said has made an impact on those that interact with them. -kayla