Know How: Voices from Youth in Foster Care
(eVideo)

eVideo

English

In Process Record.

Title from title frames.

Originally produced by First Run Features in 2014.

A film written and acted by foster care youth ripped from the stories of their lives. Five youth's worlds interweave as they confront loss, heartbreak, and come of age in this tale about transience and perseverance. Addie struggles to graduate from high school while her best friend Marie loses her grandmother. Megan copes with being taken from her abusive family and faces the harsh reality of living in a residential treatment center. All the while Eva works to be mother to her sister while their father falls deeper into a crack addiction. Finally, there's Austin who's living on the street with his brother; barely able to feed himself. All of them must decide to survive or else fall victim to a broken system.Addie's living with her Aunt Janet in what's known as 'kinship' care; her biological parent is seen as unfit to take care of her. Addie's closest friends are from her block: Juice, a drug dealer, and Marie, a girl on the verge of spiraling out of control. Her world revolves around making excuses until she realizes it could very well lead her to a meaningless life, and finds the courage to change it. When the Administration for Children's services (ACS) in NYC finds out that Megan's been suffering from physical and sexual abuse they take her out of the home. She struggles to fit in the foster care system - this leads her to hoard pills and plan her 'escape'. When she picks a fight with the girls who have been bullying her, is beat up and bruised, she finds herself at rock bottom. In the aftermath Megan decides to take her own life.Nearly in college Eva only has one more year of school before she's able to leave, and yet her sister Desi cannot seem to find the time to attend classes. Good news comes for Eva in the form of an acceptance letter to Georgetown University, but ends tragically when Eva goes to her father's apartment to give him the news and finds an eviction notice on the door.Austin and his brother James have been living on the street- hungry for a good meal. Desperate, they decide to mug strangers to make a little cash and live a little better. For a while things are going great, making good money, and eating well. During a botched mugging and gang warfare, James is shot.On that last night Addie, Marie, Megan, Eva, and Austin are met with answers they've sought out their entire lives. In the morning each one decides to survive and overcome the circumstances that have befallen them.

Mode of access: World Wide Web.