May is Foster Care Appreciation Month
THERE ARE CURRENTLY MORE THAN 2,200 CHILDREN IN NEW MEXICO FOSTER CARE.
According to the HSD 2021 Data Book Findings, there were 3,741 children involved in the New Mexico foster care system during 2020. At any given time, there are at least 2,000 children currently living in foster care in New Mexico.
10.9% of New Mexico’s children are being raised by a grandparent.
Once involved in the New Mexico foster care system, a child experiences an average of six (6) placement changes per year-each move a likely source of additional trauma.
New Mexico is currently involved in a settlement agreement for a class-action lawsuit for its foster care system, known as the “Kevin S Lawsuit.” In 2018, Fourteen children in New Mexico’s foster care system, joined by Disability Rights New Mexico and the Native American Disability Law Center, filed a lawsuit seeking essential care, stability, treatment, and support for New Mexico’s 4,700 foster children. At the time of filing, New Mexico’s child welfare system was among the worst in the nation.
New Mexico has more children with 4 or more Adverse Childhood Experiences or “ACE's” — the most of any state in the nation.
May 4th, 2021
National Foster Care Appreciation Day
Dedicated to all the children in the U.S. foster care system, National Foster Care Day, Tuesday May 4th, encourages everyone to wear blue and raise their voices to show their support for foster youth everywhere.
New Mexico Child First Network has partnered with community partners around the state to celebrate foster parents and foster families!
New Mexico has ranked 50th out of 50 states for child well-being for the last 3 years in a row, according to the Annie E Casey Foundation.
Facebook live series
One-on-One with State Legislators
Guests include:
Representative Rebecca Dow
Representative Meredith Dixon
Representative Marian Matthews
Representative Candie Sweetser
Senator Crystal Diamond
Senator Jacob Candelaria
Black youth are three times more likely to be victims of reported child abuse or neglect, three times more likely to be victims of robbery, and five times more likely to be victims of homicide.
February 17th, 10Am-11Am
TRAINING: Community Health Worker and the Pathways Navigator Model
Presenter: Guillermina “Gig” Osori
Ms. Guillermina Osoria aka Gigi is a Afro Latina born in the land of Rio Piedra, Puerto Rico. My parents are from the Dominican Republic. She grow up in Passaic, NJ. with a Fashion Design Degree. Ms. Gigi has been a joyous activism from time She was 12 years old, navigating the healthcare system due to her mother mental illness and not speaking the English language. She moved from Florida to New Mexico in February 2019. She immediately became a Pathways Navigator for The International District Healthy Community Coalition and East Central Ministries. She is a Certified Community Health Worker, SOAR Representative, Lifestyle Coach for the National Diabetes Prevention Program, Silver Sneakers Instructor, Zumba Fitness Instructor, Comprehensive Community Support Services worker, and many more hats. Her goal is to provide her Community wrapped around services and support to the most vulnerable members of her Community. She is a mother of two amazing rises artists, a grandma, auntie, sister, and love herself, nature, her Community and the plant.
Gigi will be speaking about Community Health Worker and the Pathways Navigator model. Join us! Training certificates will be provided to all attendees who attend via Zoom.
“I encourage people to be about excellence and do not let someone else’s low standards define you. An ounce of your excellence is going to outweigh a pound of their ignorance.”
– UNM Law School Assistant Professor Sonia Gipson Rankin
February 19th, 10Am-11Am
TRAINING: Roots Summer Leadership Academy Model: Transparently Reinforcing Social-Emotional Learning & Prosocial Behaviors in Youth
Presenters:
Yuri Findlay, Health Manager, NM Black Leadership Council
Cathryn McGill, Founder/Director, Roots Summer Leadership Academy/NM Black Leadership Council
Tonya Bryant, Roots Conservatory Manager
WHAT TO EXPECT:
Raising children, especially in the midst of a pandemic, is not a spectator sport. Building and fostering self-esteem and leadership in children may be the most important thing a parent can do to raise emotionally healthy children and ultimately individuated and self-empowered adults. This workshop will explore the Roots Summer Leadership Academy model and how we use the arts as a tool to promote positive prosocial behaviors and teach self-esteem and leadership skills for all children.
Training certificates will be provided to all attendees who attend via Zoom.
By 4 years old, Black children had a 1 in 10 chance of being maltreated. By 10 years old, the risk was 4 in 25. Put another way, that's at least four students in every fifth-grade class. By 15 years old, Black youth had a 1 in 5 chance of having a CPS file.
February 22nd, 6pm-7pm
TRAINING: “Growing Generations: One Family's Journey Through Foster Care"
Meet Shakeita Harris. When her eldest daughter Tequasia, moved out of the house, she decided she wasn’t ready to think about becoming an empty nester, so, Shakeita and her family of then four, began their journey into foster care and love. Now Shakeita has started parenting “all over” and recently became an adoptive parent through foster care. Join us for this mother/daughter talk about love, laughter, triumph, and lessons learned when you “start over” as a family and continue growing generations through foster care.
“For many Black foster children, foster care is their only hope to survive abuse, poverty and homelessness. …. it can be the difference between life and death for many Black children. It was for me.”
— Eve Powers
Thursday feb 25th 11am - 12pm
TRAINING: Thriving Through Trauma:
In Her Own Words
Join Eve Powers, former foster youth, motivational speaker, and Foster Care Marketing Specialist at Trinity Youth Services as she shares her experiences through trauma and beyond as a former foster care youth.
Training certificates will be provided to all attendees who attend via Zoom.
Black youth between the ages of 16 and 24 years are 83 percent more likely to report having experienced homelessness than youth of any other race.
February 28th, 3pm - 4pm
Film, discussion, and performance:
”R.A.W. Tuba”: The Power of Overcoming, Resilience & Determination
R.A.W. Tuba Film is the story of a Baltimore kid who experienced intermittent homelessness, and went on to become the first African American, in the world to receive Doctorate of Music in Tuba.
With over two decades of performing on the world’s classical music stages, tubist Dr Richard White has matured into a musician known for his clear sound and stylistic flexibility. He began his tuba studies with Ed. Goldstein at age twelve at The Baltimore School for the Performing Arts, where he graduated with honors. He then went to the Peabody Conservatory of Music to study with David Fedderly (Principal Tubist, Baltimore Symphony) where he received his Bachelor’s degree. On the advice of Mr. Fedderly, Richard traveled to Indiana University to study with the legendary Professor Daniel Perantoni. He continued his studies there receiving both his Master’s and Doctoral degrees.
PROGRAM:
Meet the Professor
Watch RAW Tuba Film
Concert
Q&A
Training certificates will be provided to all attendees who attend via Zoom.
“All people, including those we deem as most violent, deserve dignity and respect. Without that you have no opening to get anywhere.”
— Alexandria "Niecy" Taylor
Once Black children are removed from their homes, they are more likely than other races to enter juvenile detention and then prison.
Black Families and the Foster-Care-to-Prison Pipeline
Once Black children are removed from their homes, they are often put on the path toward juvenile detention, then prison. NBC News wrote, “There is a related and lesser-known police-to-foster-care pipeline that is often the starting point for the destruction of families and horrific long-term outcomes for children, particularly black children.”
Throughout the nation, Black parents are reported more often to child protective services than white parents. Black parents are also more likely to have their children removed. In fact, despite making up only 13% of the U.S. population, black children make up 23% of children in foster care.
While transforming this system and protecting African-American children and families, we must also transform the child welfare system.
Lower educational outcomes
In general, foster youth have lower educational outcomes compared to their non-foster youth peers. Foster youth were up to 50% less likely to meet proficiency standards on math and English standardized tests when compared to similar at-risk student groups. Youth from foster care are less likely to graduate from high school or enroll in post-secondary education. Only 3% of foster youth earn a college degree.
When the educational outcomes of foster youth are compared by race, Black and white foster youth have similar educational attainment. However, when foster youth earn a college degree – significant racial disparities persist with employment. In general, Blacks with a college degree are twice as less likely to be employed and experience wage gaps compared to Whites with a college degree.
Creative credit goes to Brian Culbreath who was commissioned by New Mexico Child First Network to art direct and create these gorgeous and impactful images as part of this project. Thank you Brian. This project would not have come to life without your vision and ability to create. You exceeded all of our hopes and ideas with the art, emotion, and authenticity you created in these graphics. Thank you for making our dreams become reality.
