Without a steady voice or even an adequate role model, many children turn to their peers as authority figures. Children who lack basic social skills grow into adults who pass along those same habits to their own children. The family structure that is already at risk with these children has less chance of improving without ongoing support from responsible and stable adults. They simply do not learn the importance of interacting and being successful within a family unit. As children continue to feel as if they are the cause of their situation, they tend to act out their aggression on the people around them. It is a cycle that repeats itself time and time again.
Just as the Jena Six issue was extremely important to our community, the issue of abused and neglected children is also important and far-reaching, yet we can offer solutions to this problem today. One solution is to become a Court Appointed Special Advocate volunteer or CASA. Becoming a CASA volunteer (or volunteer Guardian ad Litem as it is called in some states) is a great way to impact the lives of the children who need you most. As a voice for foster youth in the court system, your work will ensure that the needs of our children remain a priority at vulnerable points in their lives. CASA volunteers are “everyday heroes” who are appointed by judges to serve as the eyes and ears of a child or family of children in the court system and help ensure decisions are made in the best interests of the child/children. CASAs are not only child advocates, but active mentors and role models as well. In fact, the benefits that CASA volunteers provide foster children throughout this country have been well documented. A recent audit conducted by the US Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General demonstrates that once a CASA volunteer is assigned, approximately:
- 95% of children do not languish in long-term foster care.
- 90% of children do not reenter the child welfare system.
These statistics are a far cry from the other alarming statistics that so many of our children in the system become a factor of without a caring adult in their lives. The costs of inaction and not serving our children are too great to let this opportunity slip away. It is time that our community gives our children what they all deserve – a chance at stability and an opportunity for a better future.
To learn more about CASA or how you can make a difference in a child's life, contact a CASA or Guardian ad Litem programin your community. You can call (888) 805-8457 for more information or visit the African-American Outreach section of the National CASA Association online at www.nationalcasa.org/aao.
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D. “Dee” Horn serves as Chair of the African-American Advisory Committee of the National CASA Association and is a volunteer with the Fulton County (GA) CASA program. He is employed with Delta Air Lines and has received numerous leadership awards for his community involvement including “Alpha Man of the Year” given by the Pi Gamma Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. Horn lives in Atlanta, GA.
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