Wow. I am always impressed by my incredible group of friends who all seem to put the power of their awesome profiles to great use. Recently, I learned that May was National Foster Care Awareness Month and that our good friend, Swizz Beatz recently released a new spoken word PSA as a part of Children’s Rights fifth annual storytelling campaign, Fostering The Future.
Here’s what Grammy Award-winning producer and Children’s Rights supporter Swizz Beatz had to say, “Education in this country is a fundamental right for every child, but right now, we are turning our backs on our foster youth. We all need to do whatever we can to help make sure these kids’ voices are heard. They’re not someone else’s responsibility; they’re all of ours. Let’s foster their futures by really fostering their education.”
Pretty powerful and so inspiring, don’t you agree? Here’s more about the project:
“This puts a face and a voice to a problem of which so many Americans are sadly unaware,” states Celeste Bodner, FosterClub Executive Director and Founder. “FosterClub is about helping to empower current and former foster youth to advocate on their own behalf, and this PSA does just that. It amplifies the voices and educational needs of a population that is rarely seen or heard.”
For many of us, foster care isn’t something that we know too much about, but we all should learn. Learn more from Sandy Santana, Children’s Rights Executive Director: “As a society, we are failing thousands of our most vulnerable children. It is unconscionable that youth in foster care face multiple barriers to accessing their educations, and the young adults in this video know better than anyone else that changes must be made. We are honored to work with them.”
And, a few important stats:
- Fewer than 60 percent of foster teens graduate high school by age 19.
- Only 4 percent of foster alumni go on to receive a college degree by age 26.
- The average reading level of 17 and 18 year old foster youth is 7th grade.
- 50 percent of foster youth become incarcerated within the first two years of aging out.
- 31 percent become homeless within the first two years of aging out.
- On average, they miss 5 weeks of school per year.
If you want to learn more about this incredible effort, check out the Children’s Rights’ 2017 campaign by visiting FosteringTheFuture.com or by doing a search of the hashtag #FosterMyEducation. You’ll be moved, inspired and will learn so much about these incredible children.
