Recent Newspaper Article

October 26, 2012/Cheshvan 10 5773, Volume 65, No.6

Real World guidance

Readying at-risk youths for adulthood

WENDY LIPSUTZ

Breaking through the emotional barriers these youths have erected as a result of their experience is one of the biggest obstacles the staff faces in helping the program’s 160 participants transition successfully into adulthood, Harper said.

Several of the participants are homeless or residents of group, transitional or foster homes, while some struggle to live in their own apartments. Youths in the program are taught job-readiness skills, which include such things as job internships, searching for a job, writing a resume and how to conduct oneself in an interview. Each young person who enters the Real World program has an individualized education goal, which can range from obtaining a GED to improving reading ability.

Young people in many group homes have little freedom because they are in the custody of the state’s Child Protective Services (CPS), which through its rules, policies and processes essentially decides where they live and what they can do. Even inviting a friend to visit requires a lengthy approval process, including a background check on the friend.

Not having the freedom to make decisions, even as teenagers, Harper said, can delay the development of decision-making skills and lead to poor choices as evidenced by high pregnancy rates among young people who grew up in the system.

According to Harper, approximately 25 percent of the males and 25 percent of the females in the Real World program are parents. This is high when compared with a national birthrate of 3.1 percent among teens 15 to 19 years old (2011 preliminary report published on Oct. 3, 2012, by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Vital Statistics Reports, Vol. 61, No. 5).

All program participants have a history in CPS, and many struggle with emotional issues, learning disabilities and complex needs requiring individualized services in education, employment, life skills and community connections, said Harper.

Their stories vary but all are at Real World to obtain the skills needed to take that first step up. Some participants’ names have been changed to ensure their anonymity.

Edward, 18, has fragmented memories of when he was removed from the homes of his parents where both his father and his mother’s husband were abusive. He’s not certain but thinks he was 6 years old at the time. He recalls one point when he became so enraged that he hit his father and broke all the windows in their home and was sent to the Durango Juvenile Dentention Facility for a short time.

Edward is a newcomer at Real World but in his first three weeks with the program, he learned how to write a resume and secured a food handlers card. In fact, he soon began working at a popular local restaurant, taking a first step toward reaching his goal of having his own apartment within six months. Motivated by a 2-year-old son whom Edward had yet to meet when he started the program, he said that he is determined that his son’s life will be free of the difficulties he endured.

Susan is a veteran of six foster-care and group homes. Susan’s anger-management issues became apparent in an extremely violent outburst at age 11. Such outbursts led to her expulsion from foster homes and time in juvenile detention. According to Susan, her mother, a former registered nurse, was a compulsive gambler and abused drugs, sharing her addiction with Susan’s older sister, who was 15 at the time.

When Susan was 9 years old, her mother sent her to live with a man who molested her. He threatened to kill her if she disclosed what was happening. After three months, she informed her mother, which resulted in the man going to prison and Susan moving in with her mother and her uncle.

At 11 years old, Susan was allowed to have her 15-year-old boyfriend move into the family house. But when he wore thin his welcome, Susan reacted violently to her mother’s effort to evict him, stabbing her mother in the arm and she subsequently began cutting herself. After this, her mother agreed to let CPS take custody, and Susan began living in foster and group homes. Despite her history, Susan graduated from high school at 17.The group home where she has been since she was 15 referred her to Real World, and since then she has obtained an Arizona state identification card, finished her job-training curriculum and completed a paid internship doing front desk work at a community center.

Susan is also earning her food handler’s license while attending college. She plans to begin a nursing program in 2015 to fulfill her dream of becoming an emergency room nurse. Susan said she was very troubled but that she has successfully confronted her anger issues. At 18, she said she is mindful that a violent outburst can permanently damage her record and probably her future. She said she has worked too hard to allow that to happen.

Ryan, 21, says he was removed from abusive parents at the age of 8 and began cycling though dozens of foster and group homes until two weeks before he turned 18, when a judge took him out of CPS custody and sent him to live with his father. The father was still abusive, so Ryan began living on the street.

Ryan’s brother, a former Real World participant, recognized Ryan needed help and referred him to Real World, where he quickly learned about responsibility and reliability. He was also provided with some basics to begin a new life: food from Just 3 Things, the food bank that assists the program participants, accessories for his new apartment and bus passes.

While working two jobs, Ryan found time to volunteer, working with children. That eventually turned into a paid position. As a result of participating in the Real World program, Rick now has his own apartment, a security guard card and has learned CPR and first aid. He plans to begin nursing school in January.

“I plan to be part of the 25 percent from group homes and foster care that make it, not part of the 75 percent who fail,” he said. “It’s nice to know that there are people who care.”

For questions about the program, or to provide an internship or donate food, contact Gina Harper, 602-279-0084, ext. 14477.