Foster Kids and the Hunt for Money

From Rhonda:

One of the biggest life milestones is a young person’s first job. Many young people often look forward to earning their own money to do with what they wish. For kids from typical families, this can mean the independence of being able to buy their own clothes, go
to the movies, or even to save for their first car.

Foster kids see having their own money as having some degree of control of their lives—lives in which others have forcibly taken their control and along with it, their dignity. Their own money allows kids to buy food, join friends at the fast food place or the movies, and thus allows them to fit in, sometimes for the first time. Money can translate into transportation, like a bus ticket to see a relative or friend or back to familiar surroundings. Money can be used to purchase a prepaid phone, which gives some sense of safety and connectedness. Without their own phone, they’re at the mercy of caregivers about when they may call their social worker, their Mom, or a friend. Having the ability to call someone when they feel they’re being treated unfairly or when they’re feeling disappointed, angry, frustrated, or conversely when they have something good to share, gives kids a feeling of connection they desperately need.

The challenge is that there aren’t many jobs available to young people. And fewer still to foster kids who may not live within walking distance of available jobs or have transportation to get to and from work. Foster kids lack the kinds of relational connections that lead to jobs. For example, many kids have extended family members who know about employers hiring entry level employees. Family members, neighbors, and friends who are connected in the workplace, in churches, in neighborhoods, and in community service organizations can make recommendations for the young people within their influence. Sadly, foster kids don’t often have those kinds of connections.

As the foster kids see bio kids in the family get jobs, kids in school get jobs, and neighbor kids get jobs, and see themselves still stuck in a place where others control what and when they can eat, when they are supposed to sleep, what they can wear, and where they can go, what they are supposed to do and when they’re supposed to do it, it isn’t difficult to see why the lure of a trafficker telling about making money doing what was done to them for nothing can be an option to consider.

An earned paycheck from honorable work can build self-esteem and be a powerful motivator, especially when the young person excels at the work. That was the case for me. At 15 years old, I wanted to learn everything I could about the work I was hired to do, about the business, and the industry. That first job launched me in a career that I’m still involved in today.

A kid who is employed at a job where she feels that she is making a meaningful contribution is much less vulnerable to the lure of a trafficker who promises big money for little effort. The truth is that the trafficker takes most, if not all, of the “revenue” the young person being trafficked generates. The trafficker typically earns the girl’s loyalty by buying her a couple of outfits and a pair of shoes, a cell phone, and a handbag. The trafficker provides a place to stay and food. Any money the girl may be allowed to keep is expected to be used for her nails and makeup—to make the “product” more “marketable.”

The girl is captive. She has no choice in where she goes or when, what she does, what she eats, and she is certainly not free to make any other choices. She’s literally a slave. If kids knew what “the life” was truly like, they would surely choose a job, albeit lowpaying, that would give them an opportunity to learn, to gain the experience necessary to make themselves more valuable and thus to earn more and to create an honorable career.

How can we create jobs for young people so that they have options other than traffickers? How can we help entry level employees feel that their contribution to their employers is valuable? How can we help them feel that they are valuable? How will they know if we don’t tell them?

From Sandie:

With summer almost here, look for local job programs and encourage your community to develop job programs for at risk youth. Rhonda has talked about the benefits from her personal perspective. In 2012, Boston reported summer jobs for teens had dropped a whopping 36%. Imagine all of those youth hanging out with nothing to do. From 2010-2012 the Youth Violence Prevention (YVP) Funder Learning Collaborative evaluated subsidized summer jobs program. They found that the youth who participated in the summer job program improved in 19 of 22 areas examined and the comparison group only improved in 3 of the 22 areas.

The most significant changes were in important risky behaviors such as alcohol, drugs, and improvements in positive behaviors such as listening to teachers or parents.

The report, along with many others, shows that during the jobs, youth acquired new skills and reported satisfaction in their job and the opportunity to contribute their ideas as well.

But here’s the part of the report that we need to pay attention to.

Nearly all participants (97%) responded that they had a regular worksite supervisor, and a very high percentage (75%) rated their supervisors as either extremely supportive or very supportive in helping them do their jobs. Only 4% of the participants rated their supervisor as not being very supportive or not supportive at all in performing their job. The higher the rating of the job site supervisor, the more likely a participant was to rate his/her summer work experience as favorable.

So, having a summer job is huge; and having a summer job with a supportive supervisor, even mentor, is an ingredient that changes outcomes. If you are a small business owner, you may say you can’t afford to participate in a subsidized summer job program. However, every Chamber of Commerce can and should support local summer jobs for youth not only because it’s the generous thing to do, but also because it will reduce violence in your neighborhoods. That’s good for business.