Teen Homelessness

Status
Not open for further replies.
Dazeal

Dazeal

New Member
Mar 27, 2005
3,098
1,525
0
50
Ashland
www.chicfloral.com
State / Prov
Oregon
Some of you know I teach high school at night at an Alt. Ed. high school for 11 years now. I do it because I get full benefits for only working part time (which is nice when you have two kids), I used to be an wild child and it's my way of giving back.

Today our school and kids made the front page of the New York Times. Read and watch the video here: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/26/us/26runaway.html?_r=2&hp

The moral to my story is this: When you think you've had it bad, think again. During the holiday season be happy and think of everything you do have and what you don't.

I often forget the advice above, but when I come from a chic hip floral shop that sells truffles for $2 each to my night job where kid's parents pimp them out and sell meth, it grounds me really quick and empathy has become one of my greatest attributes over the years.

Let me share a quick story with you about a tough Latino 16 year old who was homeless (couch surfing) and never smiled. He was 16 and acted like a 50 year old disgruntled man who was bitter. He was a kid, but he wore toughness and macho as a disguise. Sometimes I bring chocolate in and do tastings. Teach them about chocolate and and to taste the subtle differences in a bar that is made up of only bean and sugar. One night I was doing a tasting and this kid was there. He let his guard down and started acting like a kid. He laughed, he teased, he played and he loved the lesson he was getting. He took notes and and asked to take some to give to the family he was staying with. For those 30 min he was doing what he was supposed to be doing... acting like a kid. A month a go he stabbed a guy from a rival gang in the neck. The guy died and my student is going to prison.

Please give back to your community this season and understand, outside of your warm house, there are kids homeless and hungry and teen homelessness is on the rise.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ladyinc, marigold, Ozzyblooms and 18 others
Oh.....
I'm so sorry to hear but your child, and the sadness of his life.
I can only pray that each of us does whatever we can to help all people, kids, or adults, and even ourselves, to be who we can be, and achieve what we are meant to achieve, and to be thankful for all of it, before something evil grabs us too.
May God have mercy on him and on us...
JP
 
  • Like
Reactions: Dazeal
Good for you for taking on this project. In college, I had to do an undergrad thesis project (I was a sociology major). My focus was on the underlying causes of homelessness in youth. There is a very high rate in your neck of the woods in Portland.

One of the things that impressed me about the city was the way it supported the homeless to develop skills and arts. I remember getting a copy of "Street Roots" when I was there last, a magazine created entirely with art and writing by homeless. Portland really does have a proactive approach to the problem which is very rare in this country.
 
  • Like
Reactions: marigold and Dazeal
But for thirty minutes in his life he had normalcy. Thank you Brandon for giving him that.

V
 
  • Like
Reactions: marigold, Ozzyblooms, Dazeal and 2 others
Dazeal said:
The moral to my story is this: When you think you've had it bad, think again. During the holiday season be happy and think of everything you do have and what you don't.

I often forget the advice above, but when I come from a chic hip floral shop that sells truffles for $2 each to my night job where kid's parents pimp them out and sell meth, it grounds me really quick and empathy has become one of my greatest attributes over the years.
Click to expand...
Daz... thank YOU sir!

Being one that also works with "at risk" youth (not teens, but 18-20something) myself it's often disheartening to know the down and dirty truth about these "kids" pasts...

I often just want to wrap my arms around them, love on them and show them they are wanted. Many times they have never received this from their families, hence the reason so many strike out on the streets, only to strike out in society with no safety net to catch them.

I read an article yesterday about a teen shelter in NYC... they get 7000 through their doors a year...mostly runaways, addicts, lost souls at such a young age... I can't imagine... it pains my heart.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Dazeal
Child homelessness just breaks my heart. What a truly crappy way to start out in life. I fostered 3 girls when my kids were younger. One of the girls was a teen and had a million problems, had been through 11 foster home placements. She was a real handful. She was with me for quite a while and did very well with my army style parenting. (Meaning, that we did everything on schedule and everyone had tasks expected of them for the greater good) Eventually she was adopted by a single Mom, who had a much more relaxed approach to parenting than I. New mom found her a difficult child. Interesting enough, her mom would bring her back to me, when she went on adult vacations a few times a year, where she would just fall back into line again. The mother never figured out that that child needed, strong parenting, and a regular reliable schedule in order to flourish. These kids so need someone to guide them and love them even when they don't love themselves.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Ozzyblooms and Dazeal
I am briefly "paralyzed" by the statement that parents "pimp" a kid OUT, let alone THEIR OWN kids.
We "blame" the kids for their actions, we SHOULD be beating up on the people that were "entrusted" to RAISE them.
Some parts of society are so screwed up these days, that NEVER BEFORE, in history, are we literally IGNORING entire generations, because of the stress, greed and manifestations IN OUR OWN lives.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Dazeal
Thom, thanks man... that was powerful ~!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Thanks all.

Mikey, when I first heard that two girls last year were put into foster homes because their parents pimped them out for drugs I was paralyzed and opened my eyes to something I had never heard before. When I think I have heard the worse, something always trumps it the next year. A few years ago we had a student who witness her father kill her mother. It really breaks your heart and puts a new meaning to 'kid gloves'.

What breaks my heart is when girls have come in so badly molested they can't make eye contact with me because I am a male, I almost tear up. I had a student last year, her name was Freesia who could not make eye contact with me or talk to any other students. She would often flinch if anyone made a sudden movement. By the end of the year she was making eye contact and had made friends. Can you guess the one thing I did to bridge her trust to me? Chocolate. It's what I know and in most cases a universal love. Maybe fine chocolate can be a new type of therapy? :)

To end, Mikey, you have hit the nail on the head when you talk about the parents being responsible. I have had evil thoughts about what I'd like to do to some of them. The best way for me to fight this fact is to be a good example of an adult and try to teach these kids their life doesn't have to be the same. I must end the cycle.
 
Dazeal, FLOWERS and Chocolate!!! I saw flowers work miracles when I was working in the Behavioral Health unit of the hospital. Non Verbals became transformed with the miracle of flowers. I love this medium for therapy.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top Bottom
Back