The church has a role in nurturing young people aging out of care to become better people in society. Leaving care or aging out of care is one of the most scariest thing every young person in care faces. With the exception of Indonesia ( required age to leave care is 20) the age to leave care is 18 years in most countries.
To most young people leaving care means freedom but it turns out not be so. This is because most care homes have no structure to prepare young people and equip them for the outside world. Struggling to fit in amongst others are the challenges most care leaders face.
Most often. Care leavers have to navigate their way through life alone without any guidance or counselling from a father or mother figure. This results in Care Leaders making wrong decisions and also falling into bad companies.
At the just ended virtual Conference organized by the Christian Alliance For Orphans on the theme “Aging Out/Leaving Care” a lot more was discussed on how to support young people leaving care. You can view the video here
When I left the orphanage, I met one Prophet of God who provided mentorship and sponsorship throughout my tertiary education without which I wouldn’t be where I am now. This is to say that the church has a lot to do when it comes to care leavers. Find out what other organizations are doing to support care leavers worldwide. Individuals and Churches in the Philippines, Guatemala, Burkina Faso, Ghana, etc. have been actively involved in providing support to young people leaving care.
https://allianceduburkinapourlesorphelin.websites.co.in
You or your church can join in this great course.
#agingout #leavingcare #careleavers