Calling Attention.

I wanted to take the time to call attention to one of my article that I have posted on the side bar link.

"Don't Prejudge Teens in Care" is an excellent article, and a great asset to my research.
I encourage everyone to take the time to read the article and reflect upon the ideas the author is transcending onto the general public.

The article contributes significantly towards my topic. It is a primary source, like the questionnaire response, about a former foster care youth and her own personal experience about dealing with stereotypes in the foster care.

I like the article a lot because I can relate to the beginning of how she felt. Originally, the youth was not in foster care, and like many other, associated certain stereotypes with foster care adolescents. After being placed into foster care, her way of thinking really changed.

Interview Part III.

This is the last clip that I would like to include on my blog from the interview with Patti Levy.

I would like to use it as a summary for our interview, by ending with my own opinion that I have formulated throughout my research while working on this project.

In the beginning of the project, I had a very different view about foster care youth. However, working with Kids Matter, Inc., and learning about different issues that are associated with the foster care system my view has changed dramatically.

I believe that many foster care youth receive bad press. Children, for example, are another story. It seems that the public and the media have a a much more sense of empathy for foster care children than compared to foster care adolescent. Foster care adolescents have been targeted with numerous stereotypes about who they are and why they have been placed into foster care.

I think a lot of the discrepancy has to do with sensationalized media about adolescents in foster care. Television shows and movies have long used foster care youth as characters, and many represent them in a bad light. The sensationalized media helps establish and reinforce these stereotypes about adolescents in foster care.

Interview Part II.

This clip is from the same interview with Patti Levy.

I wanted to include this after considering how stereotypes have affected foster care youth because I think many of those youth would be affected by the stereotypes mentioned in this clip.

In our conversation, I ask Patti if she thinks a stereotype targeted on foster care youth is that they are more likely to get into trouble, or that they are more likely to fail in school. Patti agrees that these are stereotypes generally associated with youth in foster care. She continues to comment that she believes that foster care youth are more likely to fail not as a result of the stereotypes, but because they may have lacked the "building blocks from day one," whether it be in schooling or parental support.

I thought this conversation was interesting and worth exploring, especially about my own opinions related to this topic.

Considering that I am investigating the stereotypes related to adolescents in foster care, I think the stereotypes mentioned in the above clips not only relate to foster care adolescents, but adolescents in general. When I think of adolescence, particularly my own, acting out and getting into trouble is part of growing up. Now I wonder, why it seems that the public believes that more foster care youth get into trouble than any regular youth living with their parents?

Questionnaire Responses!

Well, I must have ESP or super human powers because the day after I posted about the questionnaire, I received a response!

Even though I was looking for a more in depth discussion regarding the questions I have listed in the previous post, these answers still provide somewhat of an insight to how stereotypes affect foster care youth.

The response was from a female foster care youth who has been in the foster care system for three years. The youth states that the reason why she was placed into foster care was because her parents were abusive. Even though the youth has only been in the foster care system for three years, she has been in three group homes, and eventually placed into a foster home. The youth states that being in foster care has affected her by making her feel unwanted. She admits that she has acted out because of these repressed feelings. She continues to say that she feels that staff members, teachers, and her friend's parents treat her differently because she is in foster care. "Everyone thinks that you are bad kid, or that you are psycho because of where you live." When asked what kind of stereotypes are associated with foster care children and adolescents, she replies that people think foster care children have done something wrong or that is is their fault the reason why they have been placed into foster care. She says that these stereotypes make her feel like crap.

I think this questionnaire really gets to the core of what I wanted to accomplish with my project. At first, I began exploring what types of stereotypes are ubiquitous amongst society. I researched different articles that described the most common stereotypes. I interviewed people within the community and learned what their perspective of these stereotypes were. However, getting to understand how these stereotypes affect the youth that are being targeted, and what their perspective is the ultimate goal of the blog. I think the Youtube videos really achieve that as well.

Confronting Stereotypes About Youth in Foster Care. Part II.

I really like these two videos because they really focus on the youth's perspective instead of the perspective of society.

The video clips pushes my project towards the direction that I want it to go: Learning about how these stereotypes affect the youth in foster care.

"This video was produced by Youth In Progress under the sponsorship and funding of the New York State Office of Children and Family Services. It explores the experiences of young adults in the foster care system and provides insight into their struggles to find acceptance and define their own individuality. Produced by SUNY Training Strategies Group (20060"

Questionnaire.

I am waiting for a response to a list of questions that I gave to Kids Matter, Inc. The questions were directed at youth in foster care, and their perspective of stereotypes within the foster care system. I wanted the questions to be disbursed to the youth, filled out and posted on my blog.

However, I have yet to receive any response. Which is okay. I will just post the questions as a stepping stone to see where it goes...

(Below is the Questionnaire)

Surveying Stereotypes.

A survey for Foster Care Children and Adolescents.

Please feel free to answer the following questions to the best of your ability. I am looking for honesty, and a personal reflection of your experience. I want you to voice YOUR opinions because this project would not be anything without you.
You do not need to cite specific names or events. Please do not put your name on the sheet. If you are uncomfortable with any question, skip it.
These responses will be posted on a blogging website for the course, Film 150: Multi-Cultural America.

I really appreciate your cooperation!
Thanks.

1. How long have you been in foster care?
2. Briefly describe the circumstances that led to your placement in a foster care facility.
3. Explain your foster care experience. Have you been in multiple foster homes? Were you in a group home?
4. How has this experience affected you? Emotionally? Behaviorally?
5. Have you ever felt that others have treated you differently because you currently are, or have been, in the foster care system? How so and by whom?
6. Do you feel that you have been stereotyped because you currently are, or have been, in the foster care system?
7. What sorts of stereotypes do you think are associated with foster care children and adolescents?
8. How do these stereotypes make you feel?

Confronting Stereotypes About Youth in Foster Care. Part I.

Along with the video I previously posted, I found this video on Youtube.com as well.

Confronting Stereotypes About Youth in Foster Care.

I think this video ties in perfectly with what I am trying to do with this blog: Inform the public about the negative stereotypes that are targeted towards youth in foster care, and demonstrate how these stereotypes affect these youth. This video really is about what kinds of stereotypes have been labeled on kids in foster care and their reactions to the stereotypes. It really shows the perspective of the youth, which is what I am interested in.

The beginning of the video touches on the anxieties that foster care youth have about letting other people know about their situation. The youth talk about how they kept being a foster care child a secret, or how they made up a different life to avoid being judged, and stereotyped, by others.

The video continues by stating an array of stereotypes that people initially associate with foster care. One of the women state that girls in foster care "give it up real easy," and another women states that "she would not want her kids to hang around anyone in foster care." Another stereotype that is mentioned that most foster care kids end up in the prison system, that they are poor students, and that most of them are emotionally damaged.

"This video was produced by Youth In Progress under the sponsorship and funding of the New York State Office of Children and Family Services. It explores the experiences of young adults in the foster care system and provides insight into their struggles to find acceptance and define their own individuality. Produced by SUNY Training Strategies Group (2006)"

Multicultural America Kids Matter Spring 2009.

The link to the Film 150: Multicultural America's homepage is listed on the right.
The homepage site has a compiled list of different student blogs along with their respected topics from Film 150.
Check it out!

Race and Foster Care.

Even though my subject for this blog is concentrated around stereotypes within the foster care system and their implications for foster care children; I thought I needed to address the subject of race and foster care after posting my previous interview.

The comment at the end sort of sticks out like a sore thumb. And I thought that maybe adding some context behind it might help create a stronger dialog.

Even though race can be used as a stereotype towards foster care children, I wanted to do more research about the disparity in numbers between different ethnicities in the foster care system, particularly researching African Americans to contextualize the comment made in my interview. I still think taking a detour to talk about these issues directly relates to my original topic, and is also helpful when undertanding the complexities of not only the foster care system, but the youth in the foster care system.

I have cited all of my sources on the right, along with research and articles. (Which by now I am sure all of you are familiar with.) If you want to see any of the information for yourself, just simply click on the link(s) and you're there!

"More than half of the 500,000 children in foster on any day in America come from ethnic minority families even though children from minority communities make up less than half the children in this country... At every age level, black children are more likely to be placed in foster care than whites or Hispanics." - Facts presented by Robert B. Hill in his research Synthesis on Disproportionality in Child Welfare: An Update

"Race and Foster Care," an article from 2007, addresses the disproportionate numbers of ethnic children that make up the foster care population. The article states "there are more children of color living in foster care, especially African American than would be expected based solely on their numbers in the general population." Meaning, that even though fewer African American children make up the total population, there are more in foster care than children of other races. "In 2005, non-Hispanic black children made up approximately 15% of all children under 18 but accounted for 32% of foster children. " The amount of African American children that make up the foster care system is extremely disproportionate.

The article continues with possible explanations as to why so many children of color are in the foster care system.

Parent and Family Risk Factor Theories. Parent and Family Risk Factor theories suggest that the reason why the disproportionate representation of minorities in the foster care system is because they come from families that have disproportionate needs and more likely to have risk factors like unemployment, teen parenthood, poverty, substance abuse, incarceration, domestic violence, and mental illness that can result in higher levels of maltreatment.

Community Risk Factor Theories. The community risk factor theory suggests that the over representation of minorities in the foster care system has less to do with race and class, and more to do with where these children reside in neighborhoods and communities that may have risk factors such as high levels of poverty, welfare assistance, unemployment, homelessness, single parent families, and crime and street violence. These high risk factors may make residents more likely to be watched by public authorities.

Organizational and Systemic Factor Theories. Organizational and systemic factor theories suggest that the results from different agencies, cultural insensitivity and basis of workers, governmental policies, and institutional or structural racism results in the disproportions.

However, as the article notes, the evidence needed to determine which one of these theories is most accurate lacks because the studies focus on the presence or absence of disproportionality, not its cause.

Earlier, I quoted that although African American children make up only 15% of the population, 32% are in foster care. In another article from 1999, "The Color of Care" it states that black children make up 49% of the children in foster care. One can deduct from this information that in 1999, more African American children made up the foster care population when compared to 2005. However, either way you look at it, whether it by 32 or 49 percent (which is a dramatic difference), it is still obvious that there is a huge disparity within the foster care system.

"The Color of Race" continues to comment on the overwhelming amount of these children that stay in foster care. "The Department of Health and Human Services conducted a national study in 1994 and discovered that while 43% of white children entering the child welfare system are out in less than three months, only 16% of African American children leave within three months."

The article suggests that the inequities between white children and non white children may be rooted in poverty, however, about 70% of African Americans lived above the poverty level in 1995. It also suggests that substance abuse, or drugs, may be the reason behind this disparity.

Interview Part I.

The video clip was taken from a twenty minute interview with Patti Levy.
The clip serves as an introduction to who Patti Levy is, and her association with a foster care adolescent through the CASA foundation at Kids Matter, Inc.

After Patti's introduction, I began interviewing her based on a set of questions I previously formulated. (I think I might actually post the questions as a sort of base board or outline for the reader to follow when viewing the interview.)

Patti describes a sense of empathy that the public has towards foster care children and adolescents. She believes that the public does not stereotype or blame foster kids themselves, but understands that the reason they may have been placed into care could be a result of their parent's inability to take care of them, whether it by physically, financially, or emotionally.

I ask Patti during the interview if she is aware of any stereotypes that may be targeted on foster care children and she replies "that many foster care children are African-American."

Please remember that this not a personal view of neither Patti or myself, but is simply a stereotype that Patti believes to be prevalent and targeted on foster care and the children in foster care.

Interview with Patti Levy.

Although I was unable to post my first interview with Mr. Lance Jones; I have a second interview that I can publish!

This is a portrait of Patti Levy, a CASA Volunteer through Kids Matter, Inc. The portrait was taken after our interview on April 1, 2009.

"Kids Matter CASA is an organization of volunteers that advocates for abused and neglected children in Milwaukee County Children’s Court. A Court Appointed Special Advocate is an everyday hero like you appointed by the court to independently investigate the cases of these children and advocate for what is best for each child with the goal of a loving, safe and permanent home"

Mission Statement:

"The mission of the Kids Matter CASA program is to be a voice for abused, neglected and exploited children who are under legal protection of the Milwaukee County Circuit Court, Children’s Court Division. Kids Matter CASA advocates for the rights of these children to grow up in safe, nurturing and permanent homes."

Kids Matter CASA was established in 2001. The organization currently has trained over a hundred volunteers that have assisted over one hundred and fifty children. CASA volunteers work with child protective services, the legal system, and community resources serving as the child's adovocate in the court.

For All the Stereotypes...

I was browsing around on the internet, doing research for this project.
I went to YouTube.com and typed in FosterCare Stereotypes into the search bar to see what would come up.

And then I saw this video. The video was created by a Youtube user called Str8Ho2d.

At first the video can seem VERY misleading.

I actually had a previous post that I had written about the video that I had to take down because it was the complete opposite of the video's message.

It is not until the very end that it makes sense...
Around the 1:37 mark, it states "We all foster kid, but we don't have to hold up to our stereotypes."

It is not until then, that I realize the publisher of this video is using these stereotypes and this video as a deterrent.

Its obvious that the publisher of this video is playing with contemporary culture by using a recent popular Hip-Hop song, but the publisher is subverting the song by using different lyrics and images about foster care stereotypes. I think using the a popular song is strategic, allowing the publisher to connect more personally to foster care adolescents. Sort of like, hey-I'm-like-you-kind-of-feel. It is easy to relate to.