Self-Advocacy

SELF-ADVOCACY

The third study domain was self-advocacy. Definitional descriptions from youth were limited in this domain, however when introducing the topic one youth exclaimed, “Your voice has power. People need to hear what you got to say.” Youth represented their experiences with selfadvocacy in two primary subthemes, specifically: (a) feeling unknown, unheard, and misunderstood and (b) the need for people, places, or other platforms to assert their voice.

Feeling Unknown, Unheard, and Misunderstood.

Youth in the study described a feeling of being unknown, unheard, and misunderstood in their interactions with professionals, adults, and even other youth in their lives. Sometimes their expressions conveyed ways that this was intentional. One youth described faking energy to keep people from asking questions, explaining: “I don’t like being asked what’s wrong.” Another expressed hesitation in sharing herself fully with case managers. She explained: “I want to tell them everything, but not tell them everything because that would be showing my weak side.” In other examples, youth portrayed being on the receiving end of the choices from professionals who they perceive do not hear them. In one exchange, two youth explained: Speaker 1: “They [case managers] don’t really care what you’re saying sometimes.” Speaker 2: “They just do their job and they go on.” Another youth reiterated: “[They’re] not listening to me because I'm a child.”

Youths’ descriptions of not feeling known, heard, and understood, intentionally or otherwise, were heavily centered around case managers, but examples also included judges, youth attorneys, and therapists. In particular, youth shared examples of not feeling known well enough by professionals relative to the high degree of the professional’s influence. Two examples from different youth include: “You have the judge who’s trying to control your life and you don’t even know him” and “They [case managers] try with my brother, but they don’t take the time to get to know him.” This youth explained, “My brother doesn’t want to be there [another placement.] My brother wants to be with me.” In the following quote, another youth described how it feels when adults and professionals misunderstand her:

She [the therapist] thought she understood what I meant, but I was grieving and she put me in extra time for therapy. [Moderator: How did that feel having that choice made for you?] I’ve been through therapy since I was little. Every adult thought they knew what was going on with me or they felt what they felt and reflected it on me. Even though it was true [in some ways], in some ways it wasn’t. It’s suffocating!

An underlying observation in youths’ descriptions of not always feeling known, heard, or understood included perceptions that professionals in their lives and others in the community have preconceived notions about youth in care that may make asserting their self-advocacy difficult. One youth summarized this feeling bluntly: “Being in foster care is not a flex!” (i.e., not something in which you feel proud or want to bring attention). Youth expressed having to overcome negative labels and assumptions to be seen and known for who they are. The perception of being labeled as other-than was reiterated by one youth with the declaration: “You should just be called another kid [not a foster kid]. Just because you're somewhere without parents, it doesn't make you another person.” A different youth said, “My name is not ‘foster kid,’ it’s ‘____’.” Examples extended to having to fight low expectations and assumptions of being less-capable. One youth explained: “They look down on us. They feel like because of our past records we’re not able to take care of our children.” In youths’ observations of their case events and interactions with professionals, the perception of being thought of and treated as less-than pervaded. One youth observed plainly: “Kids who get the good foster parents are babies…nobody wants a teenager. When I came into care it took me two months to get placed.” Another framed their experiences with being heard with the following interpretation: “You can speak up for yourself a million times, and they'll still try to down talk you.”

Need for People, Places, or Platforms to Assert their Voice.

The second subtheme under self-advocacy revealed that youth in care described needing platforms to assert their voice. Figure 17 grounds this subtheme and presents one youth’s analogy of feeling silenced, without a voice, like an animal: “Animals don’t have their own voice, they can’t speak to you.” In youths’ stories, two platform types were illustrated: (a) needing someone to listen and (b) needing more opportunities to self-advocate during case events and in professional spaces.

Figure 17. "Silenced"

Animals don't have their own voice. They can't speak to you. And you know how there's those commercials where the dogs are upset? That's what that face is making. Like they're being abused and they can't speak. They're silenced. And I feel like it's messed up that people do that to their dogs. And kids are abused, just like a dog. And they're locked up, chained up like a dog. And then they put them into a pound. Like we're put into foster care. And I feel like it's messed up. Shouldn't be happening. Needing

Someone to Listen. Youth shared how a receptive person was critical, yet are often a missing platform they need to express their voice. As introduced in the first subtheme under self-advocacy, the experience of not feeling heard was extensive. In response to the prompt “Do you feel you get the opportunity to be heard?” one youth replied, “No, never!” She then emphasized that the lack of a receptive audience is the key factor: “[Case workers] don't listen to us.” Another youth echoed: “98 out of 100 [case workers] will not listen.” The following exchange by two youth highlights the hesitation of youth to sometimes speak-up with emphasis on how much the reactions and receptiveness of those they are talking to matter:

Speaker 1: If I need something, I’m scared to ask them cause I don’t know what the outcome will be…probably the first reaction [is] probably making like a face. I’d be embarrassed. I mean, the answer I’m fine with, but the facial feature they’ll probably make is like…I don’t know.

Speaker 2: SO many faces! I worry about that

all the time. I’m a kid!

In particular, youth described the challenge of finding a person they can be vulnerable with to share their needs or preferences. Youth communicated how the use of their voice can be inhibited by the person they are talking to being in a position of power and, similar to some of the barriers to their self-determination, not being sure about the ramifications. Figure 18 titled “Listen to me!” tells the vivid story one youth shared of negotiating the vulnerability of asserting her voice and feeling like she must be aggressive to be heard.

Figure 18. "Listen to me!" (Original Artwork by Youth)

Yesterday, I had staffing for school for them to decide whether I'm going to school or what school I'm going to. He [my case manager] never showed up on the staffing and he knew I had staffing. That's basically showing me that I'm not as important as the other kids or your other cases. We kept trying to reach him, but he didn't answer the phone. When he comes to see me, I'm going to cuss him out. And you can put that as a quote, too.

But, [if I do] he'll try to get my baby took. That's how I feel. That's why I haven't cussed him out or lashed out on him yet because I know he's that type of person. Everybody here knows he doesn't do shit for me, but if I lash out on him, they will understand why I'm cussing him out because you're not showing up to the important things. That makes me feel a certain type of way. That's like saying you don't care about me, you don't care about my case. You just want the money. When he comes, in my head I’m saying, "Cuss him out, cuss him out, cuss him out, cuss him out," but me, I'm hesitating. I'm like saying, "What should I do? Should I cuss him out or should I not?" Because I don't want him to think I'm just being disrespectful even though he's disrespectful to me.

Every time I express myself to a person, they feel like I'm being offensive or something like that or defensive, whatever that word is. That's why I don't express myself to people. They feel like I'm being aggressive and all that stuff. I just keep all of my feelings to myself. I express myself in anger. When I'm mad, I'm expressing myself, I'm yelling, just lashing out on people. When I do that, then they want to listen to what I have to say, but if I'm oh, just a soft voice, they don't want to listen. I have to lash out on people for them to listen to me.

Professional Spaces and Case Events. In addition to needing someone receptive/trusted to listen, youth emphasized the need for opportunities to self-advocate during case events and in professional spaces. One youth’s positive example of being able to exert their voice occurred in the formality of the conference room. Their photograph emphasizes the importance of these spaces as opportunities for youth to be heard.