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Description:

Foster youth today face incredible challenges building a stable life when they age out of the child welfare system. Fewer than ten percent ever graduate college, and tragic reports have outlined crises of homelessness and poverty among these young adults. But some foster youth have found healing and restoration through caring foster parents, a deeply embedded sense of personal agency, and connections to strong networks of support. We can learn a lot from the stories of these individuals about how to better serve young adults in foster care as they approach adulthood.

In this episode, Naomi and Ian are joined by Justin and Alexis Black \u2014 Authors and founders of \u201cRedefining Normal.\u201d Alexis and Justin share their story of transformation as they escaped a past of abuse, neglect, and trauma and began to build a future together, with the help of amazing foster parents, a strong faith, and a web of critical supports. Alexis and Justin defied the odds \u2014 graduating from college and becoming authors, public speakers, and serial entrepreneurs. Today, they have dedicated their career to building awareness around the challenges foster youth face and advocating for practices and policies that will help foster youth escape the cycle of trauma and find healing.

Resources:

Not safe for kids: Fixing our broken child welfare system | Naomi Schaefer Riley | American Enterprise Institute

Show notes:

03:10 | Justin and Alexis\u2019s story growing up in foster care and the challenges they faced

08:10 | What does \u201cnormal\u201d look like for a youth in foster care?

13:10 | How to support foster youth in healthy relationship formation and educational pursuits

16:55 | How giving foster youth a consistent and supportive place to call \u201chome\u201d empowers agency

18:20 | Reforming child welfare systems to help foster youth transition to adulthood

26:25 | Justin\u2019s Rising Over Societal Expectations (ROSE) model for empowerment