Youth

Learning disabilities expert Dr Richard Lavoie knows the secrets of school. Here's a summary of some of his ideas.

Social structure

Lavoie identifies four groups of kids at school:

Most North American children go to summer camp at some point in their childhood. Camps can be great fun, they help with developing independence and, overall, can be very enriching. But, for some adopted children, there may be extra challanges involved in the summer camp experience. Here are some great tips on what to consider before you sign up your child.

Take this quiz, developed by Speak-Out Youth members April and Courtney, to see what kind of family is the right fit for you!

Question 1

You’ve just come from a long day at school. What would you like to come home to?

a) Lots of brothers and sisters jumping off the walls and inviting you to play.
b) Your mom and dad waiting for you, ready to go on a bike ride.
c) Your mom, cooking dinner, ready to hear all about your day.
d) An after-school snack of homemade cookies while you do your homework with your siblings and wait for your dad to come home.

Interview with a youth service provider.

I'm a youth who was in foster care. I know what it's like to meet with social workers and have conversations about my future. I think that planning permanency and adoption is a good thing because it gives youth a sense of stability and belonging. Permanency is important because it sets the ground work for the youth's future; it sets up a permanent family life and also might help to make sure that positive outcomes are possible for the youth in the long run. Here are some suggestions I have for people who work with youth in care or adoptees!

I believe that permanency is very important.
When I was at my all time low
I just wanted to fly away like a blackbird.
I was creeping death,
I needed a Courtesy Call.
I knew that someday I'll be on the Stairway to
Heaven.
Soon I will find a person, they will say,
"Oh starlight, don't you cry. We're going to find
A place where we belong"
They will be my Saviour, I'll know that
Nothing else matters, and I'll be living in
Paradise City.
So Open your eyes, and see that If
Everyone Cared, and they gave a

Fiction

• They are unwanted
• They are sexually promiscuous
• They are too old to be adopted
• They do not know how to love and interact with others
• All foster parents treat their foster children unfairly
• Incapable of getting a job
• All kids in care have many counsellors in their lives
• They will all grow up to live on the streets
• They are all thieves/criminals
• They are all angry and dramatic

Facts

• They are very smart people, even if their grades don't show it all the time
• They are ve

It’s been hard to see my things destroyed, my personal space obliterated and my patience shattered.

It’s been an adjustment to keep up with multiple appointments, lack of information and countless phone calls.

It’s been a struggle to not ask too much, push too hard or back off too far.

We’ve been through nightmares, perfect days and everything in between.

I’ve loved being able to snuggle you, tickle you and tuck you in every night – even though you’re not so little.

I’m amazed at how you’ve grown in such a short time – so much more than just height.

A timeline of one youth’s life from adoption, through foster care, and into independence, as told to Mary Caros.

Author’s note: This account started out as an interview with a youth as a way to allow her to give voice to her life experience. There is more to this story—and more to all of our life histories— than one person’s subjective experience. Our recollection of life events are often affected by the time and space in which we remember them. This young woman may tell her story quite differently five years from now.

I grew up in and out of foster care, where sometimes it felt like no one cared. All I wanted was a family and a home that was mine, but that wasn’t in the cards for me.

Instead I got a system that moved me from home to home more times than I can count and certainly more than I care to remember. When I aged out of the guardianship of the system that was my parent, I found myself homeless. I was still struggling to overcome abuse and neglect.