Transitioning from the Foster Care System to Adulthood
Transcript of video:
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dcyf definitely had my back in every
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case
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situation possible i'm really thankful
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for dcyf and that i was able to be in
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foster care
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because if i had been in my other
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situation i'm not really sure where i'd
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be right now so when you think about
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youth and young adults
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you assume that they have people that
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love them they have parents or whoever
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raised them that are going to be there
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for them you know through thick and thin
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right well think about kids that don't
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have that support whether they've been
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abused or neglected there's problems
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there and where do they go for help well
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a lot of those kids end up working with
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ecyf there's a lot of things about being
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an adult that i don't know
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so it's great that i'm able to call or
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text my former caseworker there's a lot
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of
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resources that were available to me like
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i didn't know how to properly store food
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i'm still learning about like credit and
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budgeting and there was a lot of
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resources helping me learn that and
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before i left foster care which i think
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was great they made sure i had like a
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primary care and adult
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that i could count on when i left so
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like we established a support system
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before i was on my own living on my own
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has proved to be a struggle too i've
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learned how to stand up for myself when
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it comes into situations where i feel
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like i'm being taken advantage of
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whether that be at work or in my
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personal life
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and finally i just started therapy and i
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started learning that it's okay to talk
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about my struggles and like now with the
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strength of mine i can talk about it and
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not feel ashamed of where i came from
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they're trying to figure out you know
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what i'm what am i going to do after
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high school where am i going to live you
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know who are my connections we're right
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there with them supporting them to think
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about you know making the best decisions
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for themselves and providing them with
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resources so they have access to housing
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they can access higher education they
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can have a job they can make those
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connections so they don't feel so alone
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since dcy i've got involved in my life
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i've
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felt safe
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and they've really taught me how to
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advocate for myself i learned how to
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find my voice
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i started off very passive
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angry and passive and
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decy i've helped me find my voice
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i'm not angry i'm not passive i know how
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to be assertive i know how to
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connect with resources and if i don't i
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know how to find the appropriate people
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to help me
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i feel positive i think there's a really
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great future that's lined up for me i'm
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working on getting my human services
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degree from manchester community college
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and i would love to go down the human
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services track whether i become like a
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social worker counselor haven't really
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decided where i'm going with that yet
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but the degree itself can take me in a
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million different directions we're
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leveling the playing field we're making
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it possible for youth that maybe had
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issues for whatever reason making it
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possible for them to have as much
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success and fulfillment as anyone else
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now i feel in control of what happens to
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me before i kind of felt like life was
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just happening to me but now i feel in
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control i feel empowered
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i feel like what happens to myself and
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my son is really up to me
