THE ARIZONA
FOSTER CARE SYSTEM
The Foster Care System in Arizona was created to protect children that do not have a parent or guardian. These children are taken in by the state and given new families, yet they are often still in danger. In efforts to protect a child, he or she is often moved from home to home, which can be detrimental to his or her development. Children are shipped from home to home without a glance at a child’s needs or past, and those who turn 18 are even more out of luck. Once of age, those children (who are now technically adults in the eyes of the law) must fend for themselves without any financial or physical assistance. These problems must be addressed and fixed for the sake of the thousands of children in Arizona's Foster Care System.
About Me
My name is Manuel Edrozo and I am currently a Senior at Perry High School. Throughout my life, I have had many interests and hobbies, and have found one thing in common with all of them. I love to help people. Whether it is to help tell a story, help create something new, or help someone understand; my mission in life is to help as many people as I can. With this project, I aim to help the helpless and give a voice back to the children that are already fighting so hard for their future. My mission is to educate the public on the faults of the Arizona Foster Care System and show them how much their voice matters to a child in need.
Topic Proposal
Overview
This proposal covers the many faults of the foster care system in America, specifically in Arizona. While the author, Manuel Edrozo, may not be the most knowledgeable about the given topic, he aims to remedy that and spread awareness about it. What he does know comes from a quick Google search that shows the many problems facing kids today: sexual abuse, neglect, drugs and alcohol, and violence (among other things as well). While he cannot give a first person account of these himself, he would like to interview someone that specializes in dealing with kids who have gone through similar situations, like a social worker or foster parent. He hopes to learn about the process of adoption, fostering, and anything else that a child may go through when placed in state custody. Edrozo has high ambitions and would like to propose a bill to the Arizona government in hopes of better protecting its children. At the end of the day, Edrozo wants to learn more about the foster care system, and hopefully find a solution for at least one of its many problems.
Problem to be Addressed
The problem facing hundreds of thousands of children in America is the broken foster care system. Thousands of children are left neglected or abused in both private and group homes. These children, who may not have parents, depend on the state and other families to protect them, yet they are not being protected. Children are shipped from home to home without a glance at a child’s needs or past, and those who turn 18 are even more out of luck. Once of age, those children (who are now technically adults in the eyes of the law) must fend for themselves without any financial or physical assistance. For the children under the age of 18 and able to be adopted, they still face a bumpy road. Outdated ideologies about “traditional families” exclude LGBTQ+ or interracial families from potentially adopting a child. These problems must be addressed and fixed for the sake of the thousands of children in foster care across Arizona.
Public Awareness
The public needs to know about the broken foster care system because most people can do something about it. While some people think that kids are getting adopted and live happily ever after just like Annie does, the sad reality is that most kids end up like the rest of the girls at the orphanage: forgotten. A lot of people do not know about the darkness that foster care kids know all too well: sexual abuse, neglect, drugs and alcohol, and violence. These problems need to be addressed, and can be done so through educational websites and videos. People are ignorant to what goes on behind closed doors, but if the doors were opened, people might take action.
Procedure: Action Plan
I plan to use my research to spread awareness about the faults of the foster care system. I want to create a website and maybe a charity that could give money to credible organizations that help children in foster care. The ultimate goal would be to write and propose a bill to vet prospective foster care parents more thoroughly to ensure a child’s safety. I would also like to make some sort of apparel to give to people to spread the news about the faulty system and what they can do about it. I would also like to interview a social worker that deals with foster kids and parents alike to see what really goes on, not what goes on according to a database. If possible, I would also like to find an adoption agency here in Arizona and have them walk me through the process of adoption and/or foster care to see what that process is like as well.
Expected Results
I expect to see some sort of change, mostly in people’s knowledge about the foster care system. Not many people know about the dangers of “the system”, and my goal is to shed some light on what happens. I would like to propose some sort of law or bill that could protect children more, but I do not know how far a bill from a high schooler would go. In a perfect world, it would get instituted and protect thousands of kids across the state, but it will take much planning and research to accomplish that goal (which I hopefully can).
Artifact
My artifact is a small bracelet to spread awareness about the foster care system in Arizona. On the outside would be a catchy catchphrase as well as the bill number that I would like to propose. On the inside would be the link to this website for people to learn more about our cause. It is small, but it can be worn casually and hopefully obviously enough to spark a conversation.
Contact Me
