We went for a fun family day the other day and it reminded me how much trauma affects the brain. It also reminded me that healing has no time frame and is a constant flow, like the current in an ocean, moving in and out.
Last week the fifth of five Family & Youth Initiative high school seniors graduated from high school. Only one of the five attended the same high school for all four years. Two of them attended five high schools each.
Bouncing between schools is an important reason but just one of the reasons children in foster care graduate high school at a much lower rate than their non-foster care peers.
Recently I had a conversation with a DCFYI teen who is diligently looking for a job. Like most recent high school graduates she has some but not much work experience. She feels like she is doing the right things but they haven't led to employment and she is frustrated.
We talked about strategies and tasks (and not giving up) and then she said: "I just want someone to look at how hard I'm trying and say 'I'll take a chance and give her a job.' Is that too much to expect?"
