Making the Transition: Foster youth are pulled from the only life they have known, away from their home, best friends, pets and family. They are placed into a foreign environment and surrounded by an ever changing group of adults and peers that they have trouble connecting with and trusting. They may be placed in a new school halfway through the year with little clothes or supplies making it difficult to fit in. Too often this transition leaves foster youth feeling alienated, different from their peers and alone.

Where is the Fun? Many foster youth miss out on the simple pleasures of being a child in their community. They have no one to drive them to extracurricular activities, pay for their movie pass, encourage them to test their limits, or try new things and discover who they really are. When a foster child wants to try basketball, go to a summer camp or take guitar lessons with a new friend, they are continually told “Sorry, there just isn’t any money.”

Losing Hope: Foster youth may even begin to accept less from their life, themselves and the world around them simply because they see themselves as a foster child who is unlovable. Sadly, these children sometimes believe this is their fault.

Read about the Foster Youth Facts.