It's time to step up the game. Since 2008 the Children's Action Network has been making films of kids in foster care who are eligible for adoption. Many of them have been in the system for years and years, moving around from one foster family to another, back to a biological parent, then back into the system, not because of their own actions but because they have suffered abuse and neglect from the adults in their lives.
It's a trying and often traumatic cycle that leaves children feeling that they've they have been rejected because of something they have done, that it is their fault. It never is. Kids are kids, and given the love and permanence they need, and surely, should be their right when they come into this world, they can all thrive.
There are over 100,000 of them these youth in the US. They age out of foster care at 18 or 21, depending on the state they live in, often without having bonded with any adults at all. Even the best of us can lose our bearings if we find ourselves truly alone in the world. That's why CAN continues to help find permanent homes for kids of all ages even if they're almost old enough to vote. I help out on the film shoots, interviewing the kids and then writing articles like this one.
We've been successful too. Parents have found the child they never thought they could have, or the sibling for the child they already have.
There is always room in the house for more love.
Parents who adopt out of foster care can be female/male couples, same sex couples, and even single men or women.
After 8 years of doing this I feel like it's time to step up the game, and find homes for all the children we meet. Maybe since I've had a Twitter account forever, I'll actually start using it. Ahhh, social media, I will embrace you.
The following is a video of Jaylon. We interviewed him last week. He's a remarkable 15-year-old boy. He is gay, and has been since the 6th grade. He's very comfortable in his own skin. He totally surprised us that day. While he was hanging around outside the house we were filming at, he was funny and kind of outrageous, bounding brimming with energy, talking about his favorite singers and movie stars. When he sat down in front of the camera, he became extremely focused, serious and articulate. He's a very smart young man who knows who he is and what he wants. But here...he'll tell you himself.
Meet Jaylon
CAN_Jaylon_Web from Childrens Action Network on Vimeo.
This is an ongoing series profiling some of the 100,000 children living in foster care who are eligible for adoption. The videos are produced by the Children's Action Network. You can learn more about these and other kids at childrensactionnetwork.org.