Help me save my education.

Hi!

My name is George, and here is my story.

I was five years old when the strangers showed up to take me away from the only place I had ever known. They told me everything was going to be ‘ok’, but I didn’t believe them. They are strangers and I was told to never talk to strangers. The year was 1986 and I was five years old. Social workers had shown up to remove me from my home due to child abuse and neglect. My father had thrown me on the floor, resulting in a broken leg, and then in turn, tried to get me to lie about it to doctors.

I am glad doctors are trained to detect these types of situations.

Having a small child removed from the only home they have ever known, by ‘strangers’ can be very traumatic regardless of why they are removed. As adults looking from the outside in, yes, the child might be being removed due to ‘safety’ concerns inside the home, but to the child themselves, their brain doesn’t understand the magnitude of these safety concerns, doesn’t understand anything about ‘law’ and ‘protection’, and just looks at their family home as ‘home’.

I know, because I was that child.

The Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada estimates there are 59,000 children and youth living in ‘permanent’ care across Canada.

That is ‘permanent’ care and doesn’t count for all the children and youth who are not in permanent care but have some other sort of agreement with families that are still involved with child welfare for one reason or another.

I spent many years going from foster home to foster home and then back home again. After reading my file, I estimate around 60 moves.

Sixty. Moves.

I was bullied almost my entire childhood because I am small, grew up poor, and the kids could sense I was different. By the time I grew into my teenage years, I became the bully as a method of trying to seek attention and affection from others, by trying to revamp my image as affection, and attention, are some things I never had. I was sick of being bullied, and just didn’t want to feel that pain ever again.

I spent time in foster homes, group homes, facilities, hospitals, spent time being homeless and couch surfing, and can remember very vividly how I felt standing in line at the food bank wondering if life was ever going to get better for me.

The Children’s Aid Foundation also reports that less than 50% of youth in care graduate high school.

I was one of those youth.

I had quit school the first day of grade 10 because someone had made fun of my girlfriend at the time, and we got into a verbal altercation in the hallway. Even though the both of us were yelling at each other, I was the one who got suspended. I felt as if the world was out to get me and could not manage my emotions properly, so I quit school.

When I ‘aged out’ of the system when I turned 19, things got even worse. I became an alcoholic and a bar star drinking my rent, my darkness and my emotions away.

It took me the better part of 10 years of exploring myself, my emotions, and life on its own, before I was able to have a lightbulb turn on upstairs to get me to ‘think different’.

I eventually went back to school and took Child and Youth Care, to try and help children and youth in situations that I used to be in.

I believe very strongly that workers, government officials, and anyone else of the like, can learn a magnitude of information from the people, that have themselves, lived their lives in the child welfare system.

But not everyone thinks like that, and my beliefs were not welcome in my province. I had one agency make me swear I would never tell anyone I grew up in care.

I eventually moved to Alberta to try and make ends meet, and in hopes to gain some real meaningful experience in the field.

I have now been working in the field for 14 years now and have learned very much about trauma, attachment, connection, but most importantly, about myself.

I’ve worked in many different capacities in the field:

• Houseless Shelters

• Group Homes for young people with intellectual and cognitive disabilities and disorders.

• Group homes for adults with intellectual and cognitive disabilities and disorders.

• Group homes and facilities for high-risk youth.

• Collaborative Service Delivery work with Children’s Services.

• Partnered agencies working with high-risk youth and youth with disabilities and disorders.

But today, I call on GoFundMe, and all of you, for help.

For help with something I started many years ago.

14 years ago, when I received my diploma in Child and Youth Care (CYCW). Only a few months in, due to issues with academics, the accreditation for the class, became no more and was pulled out of the course. At the time, I had my diploma and that is all that’s mattered.

Until now.

Just this past Christmas, I was thinking about what I wanted my ‘end game’ to be and something compelled me to apply to MacEwan University to finish of my Bachelor in CYCW. I am not sure what feeling compelled me to do it, but I felt like I had to. I always knew I could transfer my two-year diploma for two year’s worth of credit and then only have to go for the final two years.

I was accepted for this fall.

I thought about the acceptance for a week and then sent them an email politely declining. My reasoning was the fact that I was not 100% sure I could afford it.

I expected a nice email in returning thanking me, wishing me well, and looking forward to seeing me in the future.

But that is not what I got.

I was told that due to how old my diploma was, and changes in academics over the years that my application was almost declined to transfer my credits and that I got in by the skin of my teeth. Then I was told that if in the future, there were any changes in management, that there was not even a guarantee my diploma would transfer at all anymore.

So I accepted.

I accepted, knowing that this could be my only shot to ever have my previous education transferred over without feeling like the two years I had previously spent were a complete waste.

My Diploma means so much to me.

I told my story in school, I learned about my story, and I learned even more about the kids. It taught me ways to use what I learned about myself in my own life, pair it with the knowledge I was learning in school, and just be a great advocate for young people. And even with going to school 9am-3pm

every day, I was still able to hold down 5-6 casual jobs, travelled everywhere on a bus and sometimes work 67 hours a week to get by, and I still finished with an 89% Average and a 98% attendance record.

I was so proud of myself.

I accepted my fall studies feeling that my diploma is worth almost nothing anymore and knowing that I had put my heart and soul into my two-year diploma, knowing that I needed to fix this situation.

Due to life circumstances, and having two children with disabilities, I am afraid I won’t be able to pay for my tuition without quite the financial struggle.

I've struggled so much in life and I am fine with struggling, I just don't want to place this burden on my family.

I have looked for money for former youth in care in Alberta, but unfortunately, I wasn’t in care in the province of Alberta, so it does not apply to me, and the province I was in while in care, wont pay for me to go to school here.

I have enrolled as a part time student taking two classes a semester to try and balance school, a full-time job, and my family, and most of the awards and bursaries through the school only fit with full-time students.

I am reluctant to get a student loan as I am 42 years old, and with interest rates I will be paying it off until my senior years and I am reluctant to put that burden on my family as we are already struggling in this economy (much like everyone else). I am also still paying off my old one. 

Unfortunately, doing the work we do in this field to help young people and families – it doesn’t pay the best. All of us struggle, even on a good day.

I am starting school as a part time student for a few reasons. I am FAR, from a spring chicken anymore and now have to try and juggle a full-time job, a family, and now school to finish what I started. I want to start slow to make sure I can manage everything, especially the family piece.

Once I finish my Degree, then I am on the fence to get my masters to hopefully become a teacher one day. That will all depend on finances when I am finished. As a part time student I am projected to finish in around 4 ½ years.

I am writing to you today, humbly asking for your help in helping me continue my education at MacEwan in the amount of a small donation toward my tuition. Any amount would be fine, and the sheer amount of appreciation I have, knows no bounds.

I would give you my solemn promise that I will succeed for the best interest of the kids, do great work, and hopefully in the future, be put in a position to help change the field and system for the betterment of the kids and families it serves.

Thank you for your consideration, attention, and listening to the 'short version' of the struggles I have faced in life.

All I am trying to do, is do right, and be better.

Humbly,

George.