i wanr a 4 mark paragraph on 'impact of networking on young generations'
Answers
Young people with personal experiences in foster care and adoption are an invaluable resource for evaluating the effectiveness of the policies and resources established to aid in their long-term success and the success of the young people who follow behind them in the system. For this reason, court systems, child welfare agencies, and policy makers have made huge advancements in learning how to effectively engage these youth in the decision making process.
Despite this progress, youth engagement in child welfare still has a long way to go. There is much to learn about the ever-changing and diverse challenges faced by young people who have experienced foster care and adoption. A single youth’s testimony can be a powerful asset for prompting change on a specific issue, but it represents only a facet of the full spectrum of experiences encompassing what it means to be an adopted youth or youth in foster care today. No individual voice could ever represent everything that needs to be learned about child welfare—this is where youth networks come in.
Youth networks are a dynamic platform for youth engagement that can serve to unite individuals of varied backgrounds toward a common goal. These networks can function in a number of different ways and typically address a variety of needs for their members:
Some youth networks are created for the sole purpose of sharing resources and life skills training with a closed cohort of youth served by a specific program.
Others offer a broader enrollment and rely upon the voluntary participation of members to advocate for policy and practice changes based on shared goals.
Whether a network is designed to achieve advocacy goals or support other young people, members of youth networks also report numerous personal gains as a result of their involvement.
One such benefit is certainly connection with others who have faced similar circumstances. As a former youth in foster care, I can attest to the loneliness and feelings of social isolation that often accompanies extended involvement in child welfare. For many youth in care, their upbringing may have looked drastically different from what they observed as normal for friends and peers. For me, this meant having many birthdays and Christmases left uncelebrated or watching with jealousy as friends left for vacation with their families. Many of the milestones I saw others take for granted, such as having a graduation party or learning how to drive a car, seemed like inaccessible luxuries to me. Not having a traditional family became an invisible handicap that prevented me from enjoying the privileges I observed others having.
Like many other youth in foster care and adoption, I had the added challenge of being expected to adapt seamlessly to new schools and family cultures while simultaneously dealing with the impact of grief and loss created by my home disruptions. These experiences can translate for some into a sense of not belonging anywhere, which can easily lend itself to the short-term comforts of drugs and other high-risk behaviors. Youth networks provide a sense of normalcy and emotional support for their members far beyond what they might initially identify as their goals for organizing.