Fourth Interview Question

1.  Who do you plan to interview?  What is this person's area of expertise?

I am going to interview Carol, my mentor, and this will be my second time interviewing her. She created the organization that has funded girls who have aged out of the foster system, aka Bridge of Faith.

2.  Post 20 open-ended questions you want to ask an expert in the field concerning your senior project. 

- How has working with the girls affected your personal life?

- Do you have anythings you would want to change about the organizations?

- What would you tell other foster kids who have become unmotivated?

- Why do you think foster kids occasionally give up on their hopes and dreams?

- What is flawed about the foster system?

- What should be changed?

- What other programs are out there for foster kids?

- How do you think they are being prepared?

- How did the Foster system change your life?

- Was it hard to adopt you son?

- What advice do you have for another person who wants to adopt?

- Do you think there are any differences in adopting teens over younger children?

- Do you have an thoughts on out of country adoptions or orphanages? 

- Why do you think teens are so hard to adopt?

- Why do foster kids occasionally end up in prostitutions?

- What is the government doing to protect these children?

- What do you think every foster child needs?

- Do you think foster kids are more insecure then most kids, if so why?

- How are foster kids being prepared to live on their own or age out of the system?

- If you had the opportunity to tell the world about the foster system and orphans in general, what would you say?

Blog 19: Third Answer

• EQ: How are foster kids being prepared for the real world and what steps are being taken to prevent them from becoming homeless?
• Answer #3: Although there are few foster parents and organizations that teach foster children how to live on their own, ultimately the research I have found says the best way for foster kids to be prepared is by keeping connections with those who have played a large role in the lives of the child itself. 
• 3 details to support the answer: 
• An interview I had with a woman who worked with foster care taught me that relationships play a key role in every child's life, especially the ones who have no one to go to for advice.
• A TED talk on a child welfare in Baltimore showed that children were being negatively affected after being taken away from their family, even if it was an abusive home. The video also explained how keeping children with other family members is the most important step before foster care.
• Lastly, my mentor is proof that keeping positive relationships affects a foster child's future because they have motivation and support to do the things they would otherwise think impossible.
• The research source(s) to support your details and answer: 
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c15hy8dXSps
• http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/03/education/edlife/extra-support-can-make-all-the-difference-for-foster-youth.html?_r=0
• Concluding Sentence: Motivation is hard to come by, especially if you have no friends or family to support your decisions or tell you when your wrong. Every foster child deserves to be loved and worried about by someone who truly cares, and the foster system has made it very difficult for children to build relationships. I believe keeping them with family members is the most important thing for a foster child and it should be taken more seriously because it will reduce the amount of children in foster care so that the ones who truly do not have family can be taken care of properly.

Answer 2

1.  What is your EQ?
How are foster kids being prepared for the real world and what steps are being taken to prevent them from becoming homeless after the age out of the system?

2.  What is your first answer? (In complete thesis statement format)
There are few programs set out to help foster kids prepare to live on their own, but the few that are out there mainly help with paying for college and finding transitional homes. Also foster parents play a huge role in preparing foster kids to age out of the system.

3.  What is your second answer? (In complete thesis statement format)
Foster kids have few programs, but what I have found helps them the most is evaluating who is close to you and keeping those relationships because in the end the people who care about you are the ones that will help you build a brighter future.

4.  List three reasons your answer is true with a real-world application for each.
Form all the articles I have read, keeping your relationships with people close to you is the most important because when you go through a problem its vital for you mental health to have someone to rely on and to have your back. A woman that works with child services told me when a foster child ages out and they are all alone they wind up lonely and making decisions that hurt their future.

5.  What printed source best supports your answer?
My interview 3 is my best source because it was a personal account from a woman who works with foster children everyday.

6.  What other source supports your answer?
The articles "Breaking the vicious cycle of foster care" and "Thousand of Foster Teens are in danger and society doesn't care" were very helpful in developing my answer number too. Also TED talks on the foster system have helped.

7.  Tie this together with a  concluding thought.
After all the research I have done I believe the most important impact on any child is learning how to build relationships because without them a child will fill alone and will eventually make a life changing decision that could ruin their future.

Interview 3 Reflection

1. What is the most important thing I learned from the interview?  

I learned what it's like to work for children welfare agencies and how a personal adoption process went. This made me realize the struggles most foster children have and how to approach them when they are being taken away from their homes.

2.  How has your approach to interviewing changed over the course of your senior project?

When I did my first interview I was nervous and jittery and I had no idea what to do. Now when I reflect on it I can see that I am now able to come up with better questions than before and I am able to have follow up questions that can further help my interview.

Link: https://soundcloud.com/kristen353/interview-3

Independent Component 2 Approval

1.  Describe in detail what you plan to do for your 30 hours.
Every year Bridge of Faith hosts a fashion show to raise money for the girls living with Carol. They use clothes in Upscale collectibles. They also create baskets to auction off, they also contain things from the store and donated tickets.


2.  Discuss how or what you will do to meet the expectation of showing 30 hours of evidence.
I will be modeling, getting baskets ready, working on invitations and reminders, I'll also help Carol plan for food and decor, along with setting up for the actual event itself.

3.  Explain how this component will help you explore your topic in more depth.
The event helps me learn more about what Carol does to raise money for the girls and it helps me meet other people who have contributed to her cause. I also get to work with the girls since they will also be modeling with me.

Lesson 2 Reflection

Content:

1.What are you most proud of in your Lesson 2 Presentation and why?
I am proud that i got through the entire presentation without messing up or skipping slides. I am also proud that I made time.
2. a.     What assessment would you give yourself on your Lesson 2 Presentation (self-assessment)?

       AE       P          AP       CR       NC

     b.     Explain why you deserve that grade using evidence from the Lesson 2 component contract.
I followed all the directions such as, talking about my mentorship, having a good hook, and going over and beyond with my presentation.
3. What worked for you in your Lesson 2?
Everything worked for me in the lesson. I was able to explain all of my ideas properly and still fall within the time.
4. What didn't work? If you had a time machine, what would you have done differently to improve your Lesson 2?
My activity could have been better and the organization could have also been better.
5. What do you think your answer #2 is going to be?
My answer two will probably be more about how kids in foster care are being helped and taught about college rather than how they are being helped after foster care.

Third Interview Preparation

How are foster kids being prepared for the real world and what steps are being taken to prevent them from becoming homeless?

1.  Who do you plan to interview?  What is this person's area of expertise?

-I plan to interview one of Carol's, my mentor, friends who works with an adoption agency.

2.  Verify that you have called your interviewee to schedule an interview.  What is the date and time of the interview? 

-I have not yet called my interviewee to schedule a time. I plan to call friday.

3.  Phrase an open-ended question that will help you find research resources that would help to answer the EQ.

-What have you found hurts children the most in foster care and what do you think should be done to give these children hope for a better future.

4.  Phrase an open-ended question that will help you think about other useful activities you might do to help you answer the EQ (IC2, possible experts to talk to, etc).

-Where have you worked with foster children before and how has working there helped you understand the system better.

5.  Phrase two open-ended questions that help you to understand your interviewee's perspective on an aspect of your EQ. 

-What is the biggest problem being faced in the adoption process and how is this affecting the kids?

-Why do you think foster teens give up their dreams to go to college or their dreams in general?