“I know I can’t change any care leavers past. But my initiatives will change their future.” Reflection of 5th Bicon by Care Experienced Youth.

I am Albert Justin, a care leaver from Cornerstone Children’s Home in Manaparai, Trichy, Tamil Nadu. Moving to Cornerstone Children’s Home became necessary for a better future after my mother’s passing. Despite the opportunity to pursue a postgraduate education, I opted to start my career to support my sister.

Post-care life posed new challenges in a small room, requiring adjustments to this unfamiliar reality. To overcome this, I saved 70% of my salary and started giving evening tuition. Despite challenges, my perseverance was fueled by the goals of owning a house and financing my sister’s marriage. Today, I am happily married with a four-year-old son named Jonathan. Inspired by my journey, I aimed to work for care leavers and advocate for their rights. In 2020, I joined Miracle Foundation India as a Youth Ambassador (YA). This program enabled me to develop leadership skills, enhance my public speaking abilities, and improve my proficiency in spoken English. Collaborating with fellow YAs from different regions, we led a youth-led webinar discussing common challenges faced by care leavers. As a YA, I actively participated in the International Care Leavers Convention, engaging in discussions on the JJ Act with experts. I attended and conducted strategy meetings, emphasizing the importance of reading habits. Additionally, I contributed to youth advocacy sessions addressing problems faced by care leavers in Child Care Institutions and society. Our survey of 70 care leavers helped identify future program needs.

An exciting opportunity arose when I participated in the BICON 2023 international conference in Kathmandu, Nepal, on September 6-7, 2023. BICON, an inter-agency cooperation of eight leading international NGOs, focuses on alternative care for children and has been a leading conference since 2014, advocating for the rights of children and young people without parental care.” This year, the conference united over 300 delegates worldwide, including practitioners, government representatives, academics, and young people with lived care experiences. The conference theme, “Family-Based Alternative Care: A Beacon of Hope for Children in Asia,” guided plenaries and panel discussions on topics such as the impact of COVID-19 on alternative care, implementing UN Guidelines, best practices in family-based alternative care, and the importance of involving children in decision-making. This event provided me with an opportunity for informal networking and sharing experiences.

Key insights I have gained involve:

Recognizing Family-Based Alternative Care (F-BAC):

• Acknowledge F-BAC as the optimal choice
• Emphasize a comprehensive, child-centered approach to Support through policies, regulations, and resources

Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E):

• Employ M&E for accountability and quality to track the progress and well-being of care leavers as well as to help understand the effectiveness and efficiency of the resources invested in them.
• Identify needs and challenges for tailored services. Foster a culture of learning and improvement among the stakeholders involved in the care system, such as care providers, social workers, policymakers, and funders. This can help enhance the quality and accountability of the care system, and promote the rights and participation of care leavers.
• Similarly, assess the impact and value of interventions

Promotion and Advocacy:

• Building alliances with stakeholders, media, and partners like other care leavers organizations, civil society organizations, researchers, policymakers etc.
• Amplify the voice and impact of care leavers by engaging in various platforms for communication and dissemination. Utilizing social media, websites, blogs, podcasts, events, and more.

Informed Decision-Making:

• Base F-BAC on evidence, research, and the voices of care leavers.
• Ensuring that decisions align with the perspectives of children and young care leavers For me, BICON 2023 showcased progress and potential in family-based alternative care in Asia, addressing challenges to ensure every child’s right to grow up in a loving family. As a youth leader, I have learned the importance of effective communication, strong interpersonal skills, and a passion for positive community impact. Being a role model involves staying informed about social issues, embracing a willingness to learn, and working well in a team. Confidence in handling responsibilities and challenges is crucial, and ultimately, a youth leader must inspire, motivate, and foster an inclusive environment where every voice is heard and valued.

With these learnings, I step into my role as Assistant Manager, District Program, Trichy, Tamil Nadu, with Miracle Foundation India. I’m motivated to nurture happy, responsible children contributing positively to society. Committed to representing youth views, my goal is to create a societal impact and contribute to community betterment.

Action Items For me:

• Expand the care leavers’ network for mutual support.
• Advocate for aftercare programs and youth involvement in policy-making.
• Establish a reading culture among care leavers which is crucial for their personal, social, and academic development. To achieve this, we need to assess their current reading habits, identifying unique needs and preferences to create a tailored and supportive environment.
• Foster an inclusive environment for care-experienced individuals in society.

“My vision is to create happy and responsible children who can thrive in society and improve the lifestyle of care leavers. As a youth ambassador, I am committed to representing the views and interests of young people in various forums and events. This is an exciting opportunity to make a positive impact on society and contribute to the betterment of our communities.”

About the author:

Albert Justin is a B.Ed (Mathematics Education) from Tamil Nadu Teachers Education University. He joined a private school as an English & Math teacher & has nine years of experience. Albert has been associated with Miracle Foundation India in 2020 as one of the Youth Ambassadors and has recently joined Miracle Foundation India as Assistant Manager, District Programme.

Disclaimer: This article was originally published in the 14th edition of  IACN Quarterly Newsletter, December 2023 edition. The views expressed in the article are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect those of Miracle Foundation India.