Access Services - Creating Better Ways To Serve People With Special Needs

Growing Up And Going Home

Many young people in foster care hope to reunite with a natural parent. One young boy was placed in foster care at the age of 12 and struggled as he grew through his teenage years. In each home, his foster parents taught him valuable lessons which he took with him and gradually applied to each new experience he encountered. By the time he was seventeen, he learned how to be more independent, to maintain part-time employment and to make meaningful relationships. And he learned how to control his emotions better than he ever thought possible. An important part of his growth was his participation in the Youth Outdoor Expeditions. These trips proved to be life-changing activities that helped develop his leadership skills and allowed him to become more self-confident. He was honored when Access Services asked him to share his passion for Youth Outdoor Expeditions at one of our public events. During his last six months with Access Services, he even became a mentor for another foster child. His ability to mature through a trying adolescence has fostered a sense of pride and accomplishment. As he grew up, he developed caring and trusting relationships with his foster parents, coordinators, and other staff at Access Services. But most importantly, he was able to experience and recognize the strengths and abilities that have allowed him to reunite with his mother after many years. He now has the maturity and control of his emotions to make peace with his past and appreciate the road that led him home once again.