It’s been a week and were all still reeling from last week’s election. Some of us are in mourning while it seems that many of my acquaintances are actively celebrating. We all had our own agenda for this year, and regardless of who wins or loses the same issues we’ve all been debating about a solution for, are still affecting us everyday.
It is important, now, more than ever to truly have those difficult conversations about policy and our opinions. I feel like politics has always been a “taboo” discussion because it places people in heated arguments over defending their opinion. But I am one of those who feels that politics should be a dinner conversation. It should be something that we can openly and actively discuss without repercussion. Because if we don’t, how are we ever going to change things or come up with solutions that benefit us all.
As a child I was adamant about becoming a supreme court judge. All I wanted to do was to change the world through policy and reasonable judgement. As an adult, this plan didn’t exactly work out for me, but it’s never too late. This recent election has reignited my passion to help solve the world’s problems. I have actively researched, listened, engaged in discussion and done all I can to create awareness for multiple issues and to debunk blatant propaganda.
One topic I noticed clearly lacking from this years’ election was the issue of Foster/Adoption. While we had every discussion, debate and meme that ever existed over Adoption, no one seemed to want to address the thousands of children in this country that are already living in unstable conditions.
There are over 5000 children in the state of Kansas alone in Foster Care. 900 of them are waiting to be adopted, the rest are waiting to know if their parents will be able to have them back. Most of these kids are over the age of 10 years old or are part of a sibling set that needs to be adopted together. With the back up of our court systems, this amount is lessening any time soon.
To be honest with you, we don’t have a baby adoption problem in America. Most infants are matched up with parents fairly quickly. Its the children older than 5, or older than 10 that see themselves bounced from foster home to foster home. Its general knowledge in the foster community that if you haven’t been adopted by the time you are 7, you most likely won’t be.
These kids have no hope. They have no support. Many feel as if no one wants them or loves them. They don’t have someone to push them into learning new things or having new experiences. A social worker may take them to the park for some play time, or treat them to ice cream for good grades. But they don’t have someone there full time, like so many of us have had our entire lives, pushing us to do better, encouraging us to succeed and celebrating with us when we do. They don’t have the support systems that many of us take for granted every day.
You don’t have to go out and sign up to be a foster parent. You can get involved in so many other ways. Many organizations in the metro provide resources so that you can donate, visit, or if you so choose, foster these children in some way. One of the biggest ways you can help is to become a member of CASA
CASA is an organization that is dedicated to giving a voice to children who are victims of trauma and abuse. You can donate or sign up to become an advocate in multiple ways. There is even an option to be the voice of a child in court appearances. It gives you the opportunity to legally provide for a child who otherwise wouldn’t have someone to fight or represent them in the system.
I truly believe that the way to solve our “abortion” crisis is to promote proper sexual education in schools, provide resources and support to children in Foster Care and to help break the cycles of abuse that occurs in broken homes all over the country.
You can save someones life just by providing emotional support. As someone who was once in a position that felt as if I had no one, I can verify with 100% accuracy that sometimes all these kids need to snap out of their cycles is someone to believe in them, someone to support them, and someone to help guide the way.
If you are ever looking for information as to how you can get involved, please contact me. I can put in touch with all the right organizations. Hopefully, one day, it will be mine that I lead you to.
* I will be writing a series of posts and blogs on the challenges the Foster/Adoption Community is facing today. If you or anyone you know is interested in becoming a Foster Advocate, Parent, or Volunteer please let me know. Together we can break the cycle of abuse and give these kids the support they truly need.*
Dacia Underwood 