Meet a young First Nations man who's just aged out of foster care

[Music] the last boss for my mother I lived with didn't really let me use his dough cuz she didn't feel like I was ready to use it guess she cared about my safety right but then again you know it could have been helpful for me to be able to use a stove early on so I know how to cook I feel more confident we've got to go hi my name is Troy and I just aged out of CFS care [Music] these haven't sounds compared to chicken save two cents I love noodles because I feel like college sounds I feel like that's the only thing I can eat if I had a full-time job you've been on minimum wage I'd probably get more than the AIA gives me right now I feel to pay my rent and have enough money to save like I probably just need 40 bucks a month [Music] been looking for a job for a couple years I have applied for all kinds of stuff like labor kind of stuff working at retail stores clerking you're like doing like like stocking shelves and stuff looking for work is stressful in itself for me then just go home and take a nap just like just to forget about it alone that one is just real Youth Employment Services on this 66-14 right oh wait I'll wait for that guy to go up sometimes if I didn't have the money for her groceries I wouldn't eat for two days I drink water but I wouldn't eat you know I didn't have money for food I just tried to drink a lot of fluids there's no science come pick them up oh yeah that'll be good for your resume that yeah I'm cherry Leonard I'm the executive director at youth employment services for a lot of people they turn 18 and that's that's it and they they kind of go it's a really difficult transition for a lot of people to make sometimes we come in here and people are looking for they're looking for a job and we we start talking to them and we realize it's not really a job you need to focus on right now it's you need a place to live I was proud to CFS care when I was about 10 months old my pediatrician when I was kid said I had some form of autism I got FASD trying to think of the other ones I got sometimes I can extreme anxiety [Music] that house right there at the corner right there the green house green house right there that's the house I love that right there they started living here when I was 13 and then I moved out when I was 18 high school was probably the best years of my life probably I even got an award at grad on my convocation they went to Dakota collegiate to certify that I graduated high school I'll never forget when I graduated at the end of my grad my if my first foster mother was there my second foster mother was there my social worker was there [Music] she said you and hurry I'm gonna have to move out when you're 18 I think you know I'm gonna want you to watch I want you to spread your wings and fly try and live the I don't well for yourself see what it's like I was a little bit stressed out and I was nervous I didn't know how I was gonna fare most days I'd wake up with scratch mark scratch marches or like an iOS bloody or something that or a black guy sometimes I think I even broke my nose one time because there was blood on the pillow and everything I guess I'd be attacking myself in my sleep and then and then a psychiatric doctor said they thought it was brought on because of the stress of having a leave right yes this is rubber lush this is a kind of kind of the place where I wouldn't say I had some where the wouldn't probably say some of the worst I guess you know it wasn't the best place to live CFS had to had to put me in here because it was the only place because when I was leaving the HSC that doctors there gave him a timeline firm to find me a place to stay they were gonna keep me home I mean I mean I met Naomi here that's a blessing oh well can I can I pet your cats and then that's how we got our start I sprang and when we met means Terry becoming friends it was like also someone that around the lodge also had part to play it she's like you guys should hang out and she's like keep an eye on and go he'll phone most of the time because you watch TV and talking stuff and they she hang out with the cats and stuff I find my piece becoming a fine young gentleman compared to like when we first met so I see like a lot of maturity and growth and all that and like it it's been amazing just watching him become night I don't to me is energetic wanting to do things once to to work and be in the workforce just be independent so during the interview your body language is very important roles yes yeah like this like this you do remember yeah yeah relax it'll come faster lean forward I contact rather me for more because I want to impress them not even close to enough supports typically as I understand the system when you end when eh out of a foster care situation if you have a good foster parent they start to prepare you ahead of time they teach you about money management how to find an apartment how you keep an apartment they hopefully provide you like some sort of resume or I get you volunteer work so you have something at least something to move forward with and other than that that's about it you get a thousand dollars I believe and you're basically cut loose at 18 yes it's phenomenal hockey knowledge exactly the incredible memory I'm gonna excite OPD a man the difference with joy is that he understands that to move ahead and have a better future he has to have a job job is what centers his life I don't live in a whole life under under I don't want to have support all I ever want to try and find a way to help myself to her I want to be able to provide for myself and maybe for someone else one day there was still because you don't know how things are gonna happen in the next chapter you don't know if things are gonna be easier or harder for me I don't have to worry about looking towards the good stuff that's gonna happen because I know that I know I know that I'm gonna do well and I'm not gonna struggle [Music] you

Channel: CBC News

Views: 96,773

Keywords: Troy Bird, First Nations youth, foster care, CBC

Id: _SoNzfc9qj4

Length: 8min 14sec (494 seconds)

Published: Thu Mar 22 2018