Day 5

Impressions

My first week is over. I have always wanted to be a child rights advocate but reading these cases day after day only makes me want to do it more. Some people might read the things I read everyday and be repulsed and prefer to live in ignorance, but I want to make a difference. I find how people treat other human beings despicable. Atrocities seem to follow each other. A Child is wronged, and then grow up to wrong others. The downward spiral is saddening and needs to be broken.

It is really easy to live day to day and not know what is going on. It is hard, I can't deny that my chosen career path is going to be sunshine and butterflies it is going to be sickening and difficult. I will have to learn to distance myself, and not get so angry. That will be the hardest part.... not caring.

Day 4

Today was another day spent in the courtroom reviewing case files and in the office doing the same.
Tomorrow is a Furlough day.Today was slightly different in the fact that I was able to get a hold of Ms. Livingston in relation to my project. She gave me a plethora of tips, ideas and ways to plan a fundraiser.

She advised that knowing exactly where the money was going to go would be a good place to start. So with that I started doing research on where money would be most beneficial. I realized throughout the course of the day and throughout my research that my project proposal would have to be adapted, to fit newer information based on the needs of foster care children.

As my project proposal had to be adapted and changed, I will be uploading a new project proposal with the changes implemented.

Day-3

Today was a slightly different day. I spent most of my time in the court room. When I wasn't in the courtroom I was reviewing cases on child abuse.

Today being only my third day, I haven't read all that many cases; but I have read enough to make me angry. I get frustrated at how these parents treat their kids, or allow them to be treated by other people. It aggravated me to see people care so little about the well-being of someone else, especially someone who can't care for their own well-being.

Today however I read a slightly different case file. This case file was not one in which the mother endangered the child willfully and or merely because she didn't give a damn. This mother loved Mia. She cared a lot and was yet incapacitated to provide Mia Brown, her 10 month old with proper care.      Mrs. Brown is developmentally disabled, with the mind-set of a 14 year old. This hinders her from being able to protect Mia, and to make sure she is safe despite wanting to more than anything.
For this reason Mia was detained and put in foster care.

 Cases like these truly are the heart-breaking ones.

Day 2- Learning.

What are you excited about learning through this internship experience? 
 On my second day I have already learned so much. I want to learn more about the foster care system and what I can do to help teenagers participating in it. I am excited to learn more about how the law system works in regards to children being detained from their parents. 

 

Project Proposal- in the works.

Project Proposal

What:

A gala event in order to raise funds for establishing a program (Teens Changing Their Tomorrow) to help foster teens. The fundraising event would be open to attorneys, the general public, charity groups, and anyone otherwise interested in the cause. It would be a formal event for adults only. Food, drink, dancing, access to auction and bidding would be available through purchase of a ticket. It would be organized similarly to HTHNC's first faces of the future.

The Need:

As of 2005 513,000 children were in the U.S. Foster care system. Since then however that number has only grown. Children are placed in foster care either due to parental abuse or neglect. Each year an estimated 20,000 people “age out” of the U.S. Foster system. Once a teenager is of legal age they are no longer covered by foster care regardless if they still need the help or not.

An 18 year old that has just aged out of the foster care system can have nowhere to go. This can result in homelessness, substance abuse, and other abominable options. 25% of teenagers that age out of the foster care system become homeless. 37% of foster youth 17-20 don't complete high school or receive a ged. And only 2% receive a Bachelors degree.

Day 1.

Day 1 of internship. (and what a day it was)

Today was interesting. I started my day by riding the bus at 7:16 in the morning in order to make it to my internship on time. Despite traffic delays I made it to the southwest Riverside county courthouse at exactly 9:10. not entirely sure how i managed that, but I did. 

After fighting my way through security, my day truly began. After gathering paperwork and heading down to Courtroom S102 I was able to watch many eye opening and quite frankly devastating hearings on Child Abuse.

My stomach was turning. Luckily for the beautiful courtroom floor, it had nothing in it. I knew I was always interested in Human rights, and more specifically Children Rights but hearing what these kids have to face every day only makes me only want to fight harder.

As I sat next to Ms. Galvan learning about the different cases and approaches to them I was privy to horrific information on what neglectful parents can do to a child. 

Later after lunch she had me fill out report summaries on the case-files cheat sheets persae on what was in the case file. I read about molestation of a 13 year old girl. I read about a 5 year old boy whose mother's girlfriend beat him until he was black and blue. I read about a 10 year old boy that was likely to suffer seizures and a mother who failed to provide him with the proper medication. I read about a 16 year old boy whose mother was deceased whose father was stealing his social security and was living with his dying Aunt and alcoholic uncle. 

After reading about tragedies and hearing victories, no matter how small; it made me realize how much I want to help.