Unsettled: Aging Out follows the stories of three former foster youth who experienced aging out of the foster care system in different ways. Tune in to this multi-part podcast from DePaul Community Resources. 

Cat entered the foster care system in 2017 when she was 16 years old. She has lived in group homes, behavioral health centers, in an ex-boyfriend’s house, even in the hospital for a few days. She struggles with dark thoughts. But she also dreams of one day being a software developer and working for Google. She just doesn’t know if that dream is possible for someone like her … a former foster youth.

It was 2011. Elias and his family were living in Tanzania, Africa. In a moment, a split-second, their world was turned upside down. Elias’ father was tragically killed by a close family friend. A few years after that massive loss, the family made a move—thousands of miles away to Virginia as refugees. It wasn’t long before Elias and his younger siblings entered the foster care system.

Chelséa was 17 years old when she entered the foster care system. She entered the system after her mom was given about a month to improve their living situation and did not. For the next few years Chelséa would float from place to place hoping for something to hold onto, to help the pain and loss and disappointment subside.

In this final episode, host Alison Wickline is joined by people involved in Virginia’s child welfare system in various ways. Join them as they dive deeper into the child welfare system, into foster care, into the issue of aging out.

Join DePaul Community Resources for our second installment in the Unsettled podcast series…Unsettled: From Hard Places. Listen as we dive deep into trauma and attachment, meet parents who are caring for kids from hard places, and explore how communities can do more to support those who need it. 

In this episode, host Alison Wickline-Burns is joined by multiple trained professionals to discuss trauma and explore its effects. This episode looks at how trauma is defined, how it can show up in our everyday lives, and what communities can do to better understand and address trauma. 

Often, trauma and attachment are used interchangeably, but they are different. This episode explains attachment in general, as well as attachment patterns that are healthy and unhealthy. Can attachment challenges be addressed? If so, how do parents and caregivers navigate that journey?