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In a display box at the California State Academy, Monterey Bay Salinas Centre for Arts and Civilization within the National Steinbeck Center, Melissa Leong's lighter—busy with artistic swirls and "Meli" spelled at the bottom left—sits alongside other personal items from current and erstwhile foster youth at the "Lost Childhoods: Unofficial Stories" exhibition.

The lighter was given to Leong past her boyfriend. Co-ordinate to the object'south description, handwritten on binder newspaper, "this lighter means so much to me because I have found someone to love me for every aspect of me, whether information technology may be skilful or bad."

Leong, a nineteen-year-old originally from San Mateo, now serves equally a youth advocate and foster liaison for Epicenter, a local nonprofit that provides services to transition-age foster youth—or people reaching machismo and leaving the foster intendance arrangement—in Monterey County.

Currently nonetheless in the foster care system through California's Assembly Bill 12, which grants foster youth authorities assistance for people up to historic period 21, Leong first took part in the project with the nonprofit, California Youth Connectedness, or CYC.

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Alongside other nonprofits, CYC brought other foster youth to tell their stories and share personal items that helped tell their experiences, first at the Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History for its Foster Youth Museum.

With the help of Epicenter, the exhibit and so moved to the National Steinbeck Heart and debuted on Feb. 2, accommodating both English and Spanish speakers.

The Salinas showroom added artwork from unofficial foster youth, children living in the land illegally who practise not live with parents or take experienced homelessness. Due to their citizenship status, they often do not receive institutional foster services.

An introduction to the showroom by the CSUMB Salinas Center reads, "That'south why we created an exhibition with and about system involved and unofficial foster youth. We partnered with eighteen-25 year olds to tell their stories and share their creativity."

The exhibit begins with a pocket-sized chain link fence leading into the room where "Lost Childhoods" is housed.

According to Miranda Mossey, Plan Coordinator at Epicenter, this is meant to emphasize the struggles and barriers undocumented youth go through as well. "The exhibit focuses on foster youth in the official arrangement, but also undocumented homeless youth," Mossey said. "So equally the border, this is kind of the outset entrance into the exhibit."

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Once inside, data points on posters describe disparities for official foster youth: l percent of foster youth receive a high schoolhouse diploma, and less than 10 percentage of those youth graduate from college, though Mossey says that number is likely lower. 80-five pct of foster youth struggle with mental health compared to eight percent of the full general teen population.

The introduction for "Lost Childhoods" says five,000 people transition out of foster care in California each year. At that place is no data on unofficial foster youth.

The Lucile Packard Foundation program kidsdata.org found in that location were 62,035 youth under age 21 in foster care across California in 2015, while 450 lived in Monterey Canton. The canton had a foster child rate of iii.half dozen percent per one,000 people, below the v.8 pct amount statewide.

Above a total-length mirror, a question is inscribed on the wall, asking how patrons come across themselves in the showroom.

The description of "Lost Childhoods" gives context to the projection, followed past personal items, stories and portraits of foster youth, which includes Leong'due south. They center on five sections: "Developmental Disruption," "Institutionalization," "Powerlessness," "Loss" and "Empowerment."

"I think one of the best parts of the exhibit is it's nigh the experiences immature people go through," Mossey stated. "More often, yous'll hear from a (social) worker, y'all'll hear from a politician, or you'll hear from someone talking virtually (them.) Just this is their experiences. You tin't get offended."

Each section has personal items in glass display boxes on pedestals from foster youth, most of whom are from the San Francisco Bay Expanse. This includes Leong's lighter.

The exhibit will temporarily close in early May to replace the content with works created by Monterey County foster youth, co-ordinate to CSUMB Salinas Center Managing director Enid Baxter Ryce.

The personal objects include used underwear and a infirmary gown that "Helm" wore considering his group domicile had children reuse the same clothes every bit well as a framed picture of a former foster kid "Valentino" as he kissed his husband "Marcus" at their nuptials.

On the walls, the exhibit features black and white portraits of foster youth taken by San Francisco-based lensman Ray Bussolari that hang above people'southward personal items.

A tabular array towards the stop of the showroom sprawls out polaroid photos of the initial Feb. 2 debut, tissues, pens, pencils and five notebooks for patrons to write in. These notebooks address foster parents, undocumented children, "Dear Feelings/Emotions!", one asking "What does Family mean to yous?" and "Questions or Comments about Foster Care."

Five paintings, all framed in altarpieces with fake candles, are provided by the unofficial foster youth—undocumented people in a foster-similar system—with captions explaining the pieces by the artists.

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These were provided by Hijos del Sol Arts Productions, an East Salinas art studio that gives youth the opportunity to pigment and express themselves through art.

Jose G. Ortiz, the founder of Hijos del Sol, sees the paintings as calculation to the chat: "At that place are still stories non told. We figured that if we tin interact with our ain stories, the children of undocumented situations, we can have a little flake more of attachment to the theme. Foster children come up in different situations and shapes and forms," he stated.

The artists are students of Ortiz, who clarified, "sometimes I'm their student."

The exhibit ends with wooden letters sprawled on the wall, spelling "Take Action" first in Spanish, then English. Business concern cards so provide data on helping foster youth—from paid internships and jobs to paying for passenger vehicle passes.

"It's hard to await at all the pieces without wanting to practise something," Mossey said,

"El Despojo," a large unframed painting by Ortiz, is side by side to the action section. It depicts a seated and barefoot human being and woman, each sitting autonomously with children all around them and ancestors faded backside the group of people.

Ortiz drew inspiration from his ethnic grandmother in United mexican states, who believed in the connectedness betwixt people.

"It's the beginning of a family, whatever family unit you lot got," he described. "It could be an uncle. It could be two dads. It could sometimes just be yous."

For Leong, who took function in putting together the Salinas exhibit, she has been impressed past the exhibit's artwork and stories in the museum.

"Nosotros can take families and nosotros tin have other things that people accept. It's just that we have to perchance work twice every bit hard for it, but it'south there," she said.

As a free showroom open up during the Steinbeck Center'due south regular hours, "Lost Childhoods" will as well exist open March 2 for the 1st Fridays Art Walk from 5 p.1000. to 9:15 p.m. Hijos del Sol will agree a gratuitous arts workshop, and there will also be music, theatrical and spoken word performances. More information tin can exist found on the CSUMB Salinas Center's Facebook page.

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Source: https://www.thecalifornian.com/story/news/2018/03/01/salinas-exhibit-tells-stories-unofficial-foster-youth/368046002/