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Interview
with an Advocate
Adam
Cornell grew up in foster care in Washington and lived in several
foster and adoptive homes throughout his childhood and teen years.
Despite the hardships of his childhood and youth, Adam managed to
graduate from Georgetown University and then went on to law school.
While
in law school, Adam did something wonderful. He authored the Foster
Child Scholarship Bill in Oregon. It became law in July 2001. The
law provides college tuition scholarships to former foster children
in Oregon. Adam planned, organized and worked very hard to get the
bill passed.
But
Adam couldn’t have done it without the help of lots of youth
who were or had been in foster care…people like you! He says,
"The testimony of youth who had been or were in foster care
in Oregon was the most important part of getting the legislation
passed. Their voices were so compelling, and throughout the course
of that legislative session the legislators both remembered and
talked about what those youth had said."
Adam
organized the group of young people through a specific organization—the
independent living (IL) program in Oregon. The IL coordinator rallied
the young people and helped coordinate getting them all to Salem,
and Adam prepped them and got them ready to talk with the legislators.
Adam
says there were a few times when it felt like it wasn’t going
to happen, but he kept vigilant: "There’s a saying about
legislation that it’s like making sausage. It’s an ugly
process. You have to grind through it but in the end there’s
a sausage." Adam remained persistent throughout the entire
process, and he thinks his persistence was the next most important
factor—next to the youth’s stories—in helping to
get the legislation passed. Adam spent three or four days a week
talking with legislators. He made a pest of himself, talking to
anyone who would listen in the legislators’ offices and just
being around all the time. In Adam’s view, citizen advocates
have to make pests of themselves to accomplish their goals.
Anyone
can do it, too, Adam says. It just takes hard work, persistence,
and figuring out what people to form connections with to make something
happen.
Adam
says young people can get involved as simply as calling their legislators,
who, he says, are willing to listen. Or young people can seek out
organizations in their communities that are involved in child welfare
issues. You don’t have to be involved with your legislature,
though, if that’s not for you. Adam says just doing something
in your community, whether it’s coaching or mentoring can be
invaluable.
Adam
says that one of the keys to healing is "as you are moving
forward, reach back to help others. There is really something magical
about helping others."
Learn
more about how you can get
involved too.
Learn
more about Adam.
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