DCFYI

An attempted coup d’état in the Philippines which had the violence raging close enough that we could hear the exchange of gunfire with the naked ear followed months later with the first Gulf War was my first experience of violence that affected a society and inspired, within me, a need to make sense of what was going on.  In a vacuum that was television at the time, without the assistance of social media and 24 hour news networks, these conflicts were not as visceral, graphic, or real time as they would be today.

Recently, Family & Youth Initiative has received many new teen referrals - teens who are lost in foster care without adult support, even one who is days away from aging out with no real plan in place. We are grateful that social workers (and others) are referring new teens because they see the impact we have on the lives of teens. 

But the reality is that we need more mentors, host families and adoptive families to meet the needs of teens being referred.

Years ago, increasingly aware of the difficult situations many of our District youth confront, I sought out a way to become involved as a teen mentor I eventually landed in a dimly lit church basement at a DC Family Youth Initiative event in 2009, and was warmly greeted by the amazing Susan Punnett.