With the holiday season just behind us and the approaching third year anniversary of being with my foster family, I’ve started to think how my life has changed and how different my outcome could have been if the state never stepped in. This change has never been an easy thing to get past. Even after four years of being in the foster system, I can still remember the vivid image that was the night I was taken into care.

When I was placed with my foster family, I still remember how I felt the first night. I was scared that I was in an unfamiliar place and I didn’t sleep that night. Just like when I was taken into care, I felt like my life had been uprooted for the second time but this time I was in a new home with people who were just strangers to me at the time.

It took me over a year to adjust and still some things feel unnatural to me that would feel normal to other kids. At the time, I kept asking myself, “Why couldn’t I just have a normal life?” or just questioning everything that happened. I never had a “normal” life and was very distant from all my family because of how my living situation was before the system stepped in, then one night I was with my aunt and uncle.

I was 15 when I was taken into care and it’s been my biggest life changing experience, but it changed how I view life. Some experiences are short so it’s best to live them to the fullest.

In the time I’ve spend in the system, I’ve learned that I have a voice when it comes to how the future of the system can turn out. This is mainly helped by being a board member on the State Youth Advisory Board (SYAB). It is defined as a board that represents all children and youth who are currently in, or were previously in, out-of-home placements. Board members are responsible for providing input on policy and procedure to the Children’s Division and Juvenile Court. This allows me to share my voice on how I feel the system can be improved and possibly help other foster kids just like me.

Just recently I was also invited to join the Youth Psychotropic Medication Advisory Committee (PMAC) which was formed as a result of a Class Action Settlement from a lawsuit started in 2017. It is defined as “The role of the PMAC is to provide professional and technical consultation and policy advice to DSS on the development and implementation of policy pertaining to the administration of psychotropic medication to children in foster care.”

As someone who has been on medication since I entered the foster system and since I was young, I feel like it is my right to share that not every foster kid needs to be on a pill for something. We are no different from other kids, we all have our own background and how we grew up. After anyone goes through a big life change sometimes all we need is just someone to talk to, not a pill that has side effects that do more harm than good.