How we transformed the foster care system in our community | Ray Deck III | TEDxWWU
Вставка
- Опубліковано 26 чер 2016
- On any given day there are roughly 10,000 children in foster care throughout Washington State, and these children exhibit symptoms of PTSD at twice the rate of soldiers returning from combat. We have an orphan crisis. This is not a crisis that cannot be solved with sweeping legislative reform, or a single grand move of any kind. But through iterative change, closing one service gap at a time, we can revolutionize the way foster children are treated in our community.
A serial intrapreneur, Ray Deck III has a decade of experience inciting change from within complex organizations. He leads Skookum Kids, a not-for-profit that cares for children in their first 72 hours of foster care. When he’s not wrestling with bureaucracy, you can find him running, surfing, or backpacking through the Cascades. But you should go look for him. He has a terrible sense of direction, and is probably lost.
This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at ted.com/tedx
Foster care doesn't work because it strips us kids of our identity and roots. We never feel like we belong anywhere and that is an incredibly lonely feeling.
There are many of us working to fix that Misty. You are not alone.
Misty you deserve to feel like you belong. Do you have any suggestions for us helping as to how to better keep you attached to your identity and roots?
Also, I watched your video. Keep singing, you have such a rich and beautiful voice!
You're right. Even when I "got back" with my mom I didn't know who she was, she showed me that there was hope and then she left me with my grandparents who I didn't know. I think I was luckier than most because the people I lived with from a half year old to five were sweet and I only remember good things but I remember things almost exactly the way I've heard others tell their story. I remember, at a half year old mind you, being lead to an unfamiliar bedroom and feeling really messed up but not knowing why, at that age how could I? I was a half year old!
Traumatic experiences jump starts memory at a younger age than children without a traumatic childhood. Interesting, right? This is like a super hero ability. We can start learning at a younger age if we are given the tools. My foster parents were great people and started teaching me when I was only one year old. They said I started looking at books at a young age so they would start reading them to me. I started reading at two. I've read over 10,000 books in my life time. I'm hooked on technical books so I've become a computer engineer. I was given an IQ test when I was 5 and I recorded above 200. They believe it was from starting to read early. As I've aged it has lowered. IQ, or intelligence quotient, is a number representing a person's reasoning ability. It's determined by dividing a person's score on a special test by his or her age, then multiplying by 100. Since I started learning at such a young age my IQ was bolstered since I had read more at my age than any child at 5. I started reading Roald Dahl and J. R. R. Tolkien when I was 5 while most children weren't reading and the few that read were reading Cat in the Hat which I had plowed through when I was 2. I will go on to use my intelligence to formulate solutions for all 450,000 sum current foster children and also help those that have been aged out with job programs and a place to have loving, caring people like them.
I recently had a vision of a website that we can go and talk about our experiences and help others less fortunate. I started creating a website and am working with an experienced child psychologist to create a place where we can go, tell our story and keep in touch. We will also have a social network app and work with current foster care systems and crowdfunding organizations to provide children a phone and work with our government to make it a federal offense to take their phones. They will be tracked by our systems to keep in touch. Then we will have a direct connection so that we can all protect each other. It will be a social network for fostered and orphaned children. It will have a home, and it will have a place we can all go to learn about ourselves, and a place that we can tell our story and commend those foster parents that were gracious and caring for us. This will also have a place we can report abuse to stop that bad link in the chain. I realize the people that abuse were most likely in the same situation so I'd like to propose solutions for healing them as well but I plan to start with the youngest and move up. Although I am 49 I am still that half year old being lead into that unfamiliar bedroom feeling messed up but not knowing why. Nothing will change that experience we all go through but finding ways to improve lives after trauma will prevent the spread.
That’s fantastic! We adopted our son via foster care and this all sounds a wonderful resource. I would love to know the name of your organization and website. Thank you for what you’re doing!
Love this!
Amazing and inspirational work. We all need to be more pro-active in finding solitions
Creative thinking... that’s what is needed
This was wonderful! I hope the message spreads!
Bellingham is a magical place! Way to go. -WWU alumni/MSW!
Whatcom County... I lived there during my student exchange year in the USA. Mount Baker forever
The "home" that he was talking about is a great idea besides having group homes
Why?
Now how do you implement this across the US? :)
Holy Shit that was gold! Thanks Ray
Nice job Ray!
Inspiring!
Yes!
Amazing!
Foster care is NOT a business so please dont call it that EVER again. And you keep forgetting us foster kids are HUMANS NOT A PROBLEM TO BE DEALT WITH. Good on you for making the for making the facility but next time remind people we are human.
theya re humans and the problem about them this is speaking from a dopted person and a active foster household is how to accommodate the amount of people
@@kdoge1387 youre grammae is kinda all over the place so im having a hard time tryimg to,understand what it is youre saying
This is the Best Solution for Everyone : STOP STEALING LOVED,WELL CARED FOR CHERISHED BY GOOD INNOCENT PARENT'S ; STOP TRAFFICKING CHILDREN TO HORRIFIC COMPLETE STRANGERS.
Why?
we both know that’s not always the case. some of those kids are glad to have the chance to live away from abusive parents, i know how it feels
Does this mean your children were removed from you for abuse or neglect? Because parents are know to tell children I am only beating you because I love you.
these places you describe as a solution are not solutions. they are modern day orphanges.