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What is Mandela Day? – Following the success of Nelson Mandela’s 90th birthday celebrations in London’s Hyde Park in June 2008, a decision was made to celebrate Mr. Mandela’s birthday each year with a day dedicated to his life’s work and that of his charitable organizations, and to ensure his legacy continues forever. The […]
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How did you celebrate the birthday of The United States of America? Cookout? Parade? Did your Independence Day festivities end with a spectacular fireworks show? Independence Day for many teens in the foster care system comes on their 18th or 21st birthday. Last year on my daughter’s 18th birthday there was a major, unexpected east […]
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WINNER’S BLUEPRINT FOR ACHIEVEMENT By William Arthur Ward BELIEVE while others are doubting. PLAN while others are playing. STUDY while others are sleeping. DECIDE while others are delaying. PREPARE while others are daydreaming. BEGIN while others are procrastinating. WORK while others are wishing. SAVE while others are wasting. LISTEN while others are talking. SMILE while […]
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Approximately 20,000 youth age out of foster care every year without a permanent family. Other youth are discharged from foster care before the age of age 18 and reunite with their biological families. Their family connections are often weak and these young people may quickly find themselves without a stable place to live. Another group […]
Read MoreThe Teen Toolbox provides “tools for teens to take charge”. We are huge proponents of the positive youth development model. In its simplest form positive youth development means that instead of focusing on risk factors and deficits, we focus on the strength and promise in youth. The positive youth development model suggests that helping youth […]
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If you spent your teen years like the average teenager, trying desperately to exercise your independence and separate yourself from your parents/families you may not understand why a 17 or 18 year old in foster care may want to be adopted. If the primary goals for you or your friends as teenagers were to obtain […]
Read MoreEvery teen’s life is worth documenting. That documentation can happen in a scrapbook, a journal, or as with many youth in foster care it happens in a life book. A scrapbook contains an artsy collection of photos of (professional and unprofessional) special moments and fun life events. A journal can contain personal ideas and thoughts […]
Read MoreWe surpassed our National Foster Care Awareness Month First Annual Pack A Backpack Drive™ goal by collecting 46 backpacks filled with personal hygiene items to teen males in foster homes, group homes, and homeless shelters during the month of May 2012. Thanks to our amazing donors, the backpacks were donated to KidsPeace, Prince George’s County […]
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Our final blog post for our National Foster Care Month blog series on teen males is a profile of foster care alumni and Foster Focus Magazine publisher Christopher Chmielewski. Christopher was adopted at an early age and grew up in the “coal region” of Pennsylvania. He entered foster care as a teen and eventually “aged-out” of […]
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