Episode 13 - Vivian Discusses The Importance Of Permanence

Welcome back to Project Outsiders. If you are returning, thank you so much for coming back and tuning into our podcast. We really appreciate all of  your support and joining us along on our journey to improving the foster care system. For those who are new here, Welcome to the Foster Care Experience Podcast. We are a youth lead social organization that is trying to bridge the gap between youth in care with decision makers. We are all youth from care who have been pushed by our experience to ensure we see changes to a disconnected system. We are all incredibly passionate advocates and activists and want to create paths and opportunities for youth in care. 

Youth in care don’t have a house to go for holidays, someone who will always be there to lean on. Every human being deserves to have people that care for them unconditionally, not for a paycheck, not until a youth turns 18. Families are always there for each other. Why is child welfare so different? 

Today we are talking about permanency within child welfare. Youth in care experience a lot of abandonment, neglect, and isolation which shapes their interaction in the world well after they leave care. The instability from moving around and the drastic feeling of abandonment youth feel once they turn 18 or 21 leave many youth feeling worthless. We want to learn how youth views the idea of permanency and its impact of attaining it even later in life. To help us with this discussion we have Vivian Patruno. 

Vivian Patruno is a former youth in the child welfare system. She has been involved with the children's Aid since infancy due to parental mental health circumstances.Vivian is a youth advocate, a fitness enthusiast and she is a Producer and Editor. Vivian’s newest endeavor is working with RBC. 

Vivian is undergoing permanency through the NeverTooLate program in partnership with PARC (Pape, Adolescent Resource Centre) She connected with her family when she was 23. What Vivian needs the world to know is that everyone deserves permanency and stability.