Aging Out

Documentary about older kids trying to get off the Foster Care system, you know, because they're 18 right? and realizing, that, you know, once you do leave, well, who's going to support you? We follow 3 kids, David, Risa, and Daniella, as they struggle with the system. All three have very different stories. David is the loser of the bunch, no future, always getting into trouble, big dreams etc. Daniella is a Mom with a somewhat loser boyfriend, struggling to gain an education while making it on her own, while Risa is the smartest of the bunch, very smart, educated, has the future in front of her, and doesn't need the foster care system anymore. With films like this of course, you pick favourites to succeed, and watch with amazement those who don't, but it does raise questions about how much support, either through the foster parents, the gummint, or through other means should the kids have to make it on their own after such a tumultuous childhood. No real answers, and get ready for a real downer of an ending.

Let me start off first by saying I am Valerie, David's foster sister from the Galasso's home. David wasn't a loser, he was a victim of the system. Since he was a born he was troubled. He unfortunately had to beg removed from their care at 4 years old because he was violent towards the rest of us but he still continued to visit and I still consider him my brother. He was sent to other homes that one of the family threw him into a pigeon cage when he acted up. When he was in group homes and my parents sent him things he was jumped and had those things stolen. The system never did proper background checks on these foster parents. I know of so many kids who were beat up, raped, and other things. David unfortunately posed away in his 20s from an overdose but I whole heartedly blame the foster care system.