What “Yes” Can You Give to Others in 2021?
Written by CASA of Tarrant County Community Engagement Specialist Lauren Pavlasek
What a crazy year 2020 was! I am sure most of us are hoping for more opportunities in the new year. We are hoping for positive changes and some sort of consistency after what felt like the most chaotic year ever.
It is no secret that this past year came with hardships for many of us - some lost jobs, others lost their lives. Events were canceled, trips were postponed, and we spent a lot of time waiting and hoping for things to look up while also wishing that everything would slow down.
We had to learn how to roll with the punches and live our lives in flux - constantly adapting to change. For children in foster care in Tarrant County, this is their normal, regardless of the year.
With the new year comes new resolutions and a time to reflect on the past and prepare for the future. What would it look like for you to give more of yourself to the betterment of your community this year? What would it look like for you to advocate for the vulnerable population around you? It feels like a task too great for one person, but change starts with one. It takes a group of people joining together with one small “yes” to make a big change in our community.
CASA volunteers act as a consistent adult presence in a child’s life while they go through the foster care system. They help re-establish healthy family connections and advocate for the best interest of the child/children on their case. As a CASA volunteer, you have the opportunity to speak up for a child in your community to ensure their voice is heard. A CASA volunteer collaborates with the child and their family to make sure that the child’s physical & emotional needs are being met in a trauma-informed approach.
The first “yes” to caring for your community is to learn more about the child welfare system and volunteering with CASA by attending a one-hour information session. During this session, you will learn about the need for CASA volunteers in our community, the positive change that CASA volunteers are making, and finally, how to become one. This is a wonderful chance to ask questions, learn, and listen.
If you would like to move forward and become a CASA volunteer after attending this session, you will apply online and attend a short interview with a CASA staff member. All of our CASA volunteers then go through training to ensure they are able to care for the children & their families involved with a trauma-informed approach. During training you will learn about foster care, how to care for children who have been through trauma, and what it looks like to advocate for a child in foster care in Tarrant County. After training, you will be sworn in by a Tarrant County judge and begin your journey of advocacy.
CASA volunteers are of, and for, the communities that we serve. May the coming year bring more resolutions to safeguard the well-being of others. Together, let us shift our gaze this year. May we focus more on what we can do for others who need their voice to be heard. Change can take place when we all come together with one small “yes”. What “yes” can you give to others in 2021?