Elliott Orrin Hinkle (they/them), alumnus of the Wyoming Foster Care System and advocate for child welfare, mental health, and the LGBTQ population
I was suddenly met with the notion that there is a contingent of folks who care about my success and my well-being.
This story is adapted from a blog post Q&A with Elliott, which includes more of our original interview than we could fit in the post. Click here to read the original post.
“Relationships were huge for me in foster care, having someone support or help me. My friend’s mom, for example, really cared and used the connections they had to get me into care. They also let me live with them for the summer. It was a huge amount of generosity and care. Multidisciplinary team meetings were also a space where I was suddenly met with the notion that there is a contingent of folks who care about my success and my well-being. That pushed me forward.
I remember when I went into care, my case worker at the time picked me up, because I said I wanted to go to a church service. She took the time out of her Sunday to take me to a church. We just hung out and talked. She learned more about me, and I had this really genuine positive experience. Having these adults in my life who went above and beyond their professional job and took the time to be human with me was super informative to how I work with young people now.”
