{"id":60280,"date":"2012-08-08T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2012-08-08T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news-draft\/uncategorized\/first-star-academy-gives-foster-kids-big-start-at-uri\/"},"modified":"2012-08-08T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2012-08-08T00:00:00","slug":"first-star-academy-gives-foster-kids-big-start-at-uri","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/2012\/08\/first-star-academy-gives-foster-kids-big-start-at-uri\/","title":{"rendered":"First Star Academy gives foster kids big start at 溏心vlog免费B站"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"press-release-import\">\n\t\tKINGSTON, R.I. \u2013 August 8, 2012 \u2013 They improved their math skills, learned how to make compelling videos, trained with experts in nonviolence and prepared delicious, healthy food with a 溏心vlog免费B站 chef.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/yIK9uyB_6Uo\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/>But more importantly, 20 Rhode Island foster children learned to believe in themselves and in their dreams to pursue a college education.<\/p>\n<p>&#13;<br \/>\n\tThe youngsters, most of whom will be high school freshmen in the fall, thank their teachers, mentors and friends in the First Star Academy at the 溏心vlog免费B站 for their transformation during the four-week program sponsored primarily by Hasbro Inc. With additional support from Identity Theft 911, Adoption Rhode Island and the state Department of Children, Youth and Families, the program was offered for the first time this summer at 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s Kingston Campus.<\/p>\n<p>&#13;<br \/>\nHasbro, which backed the original program at UCLA, asked 溏心vlog免费B站 to run the second such program in the country. 溏心vlog免费B站 President David M. Dooley didn\u2019t hesitate to get 溏心vlog免费B站 on board.<\/p>\n<p>&#13;<br \/>\n\t\u201cFoster kids nationally only get four-year degrees at a rate of about 3 percent, which is significantly less than any other student population,\u201d said Thomas R. Dougan, 溏心vlog免费B站 vice president for Student Affairs, who offered to administer the program.  \u201cI have met some of the students. They are wonderful, wonderful children. I have read some of their stories and they are amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&#13;<br \/>\nHe said his staff has gained new insights about issues faced by foster children. \u201cWe have enjoyed them immensely, and we hope to grow the program from 20 students to 120 students over time.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&#13;<br \/>\n\tWhile learning to have confidence, developing concrete skills and earning three college credits, the tight knit group went on field trips, ice skated at the Boss Ice Arena and hung out at the Hope Commons dining center or at their home away from home in a new 溏心vlog免费B站 fraternity house.<\/p>\n<p>&#13;<br \/>\n\tKatie and her fellow Academy peers are glad the program came together.<\/p>\n<p>&#13;<br \/>\n\tInitially reticent about going to the Academy and doing homework in the summer, Katie quickly grew to love the program.<\/p>\n<p>&#13;<br \/>\n\tShe acknowledged that anger, fueled by some difficult childhood experiences, has been an issue for her, but the Academy helped her confront it.<\/p>\n<p>&#13;<br \/>\n\t\u201cThere was always someone to talk to about it, and they always helped me calm down,\u201d Katie said. \u201c(The Academy) has shown me that my history does not affect my future.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&#13;<br \/>\nOne of the central parts of the program required the students to make their own videos. Some were commercials, some were about the students\u2019 lives and one addressed sportsmanship. Instructors and student mentors from the Harrington School of Communication and Media led that part of the program. <\/p>\n<p>&#13;<br \/>\n\tKatie, who smiled throughout her interview and who was filled with energy, did not know how to create a video when she arrived at 溏心vlog免费B站.<\/p>\n<p>&#13;<br \/>\n\tIn the last week, Katie\u2019s group produced a music video about what it\u2019s like to be a foster child, including stories about abuse. \u201cSo the music video was kind of showing other people what it\u2019s like to be abused your whole life and always having to hide it and being threatened with being hurt if you tell.<\/p>\n<p>&#13;<br \/>\n\t\u201cThis is a really powerful program and it shows you that foster kids are different than what people think,\u201d Katie said. \u201cThere\u2019s a stereotype, and that\u2019s not what we are.  We are so much more than the stereotype. You just have to get to know us.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&#13;<br \/>\n\tThe director of the program, Matt Buchanan, a 溏心vlog免费B站 alumnus and former guidance counselor, said he wanted to come back to the campus because 溏心vlog免费B站 and its Talent Development Program played a key role in shaping him.<\/p>\n<p>&#13;<br \/>\n\t\u201cHaving an opportunity to help guide them to college, I have truly been blessed,\u201d Buchanan said. \u201cWe complain about things that are not important. Oh, it\u2019s too hot. It\u2019s raining. I need a coffee. These kids have had tragedy after tragedy, from losing both parents, to losing siblings, and they wake up every day smiling, being respectful, wanting to be here.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&#13;<br \/>\n\tInitially, Mike was only interested in the program because his aunt told him he would get a free laptop.<\/p>\n<p>&#13;<br \/>\n\t \u201cI thought I was going be in school 24\/7, but we were in school 5 to 6 hours, like you normally are. Then we would go to the house, to lunch, to dinner, and we would be involved in activities.<\/p>\n<p>&#13;<br \/>\n\t\u201cI am really comfortable here. When I leave it\u2019s going to be tough,\u201d Mike said, adding that he formed deep friendships with other members of the group. \u201cWe\u2019re like this now,\u201d he said folding his hands together. \u201cWe already talked about hanging out after the program.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&#13;<br \/>\n\tHis main goal is to enter the military as a Marine then work in collision repair. College is a possibility too.<\/p>\n<p>&#13;<br \/>\n\t\u201cIn school, in the ninth grade, I was bad. When I came here, the teachers all talked to me and helped me. It kind of got to me,\u201d Mike said. \u201cSince I am going into the 10th grade, I have to mature. Being bad last year wasn\u2019t worth it because I almost stayed back. When I think about it at night or when I am in class, doing my work, I wonder why I couldn\u2019t be like this last year.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&#13;<br \/>\n\tMike said the most empowering moment of the whole process came when he was accepted.<\/p>\n<p>&#13;<br \/>\n\t\u201cBefore this program, me and my dad did not have close contact, but my aunt called him to tell him I got accepted. So he called me and said, \u2018I am proud of you. Don\u2019t fail this.\u2019 He apologized for not being there when I was a kid. So I was like, wow.<\/p>\n<p>&#13;<br \/>\n\u201cThat\u2019s the main reason I am not acting up in the program, because I don\u2019t want to let my dad down. I haven\u2019t seen him in a while, so when he called me, I was happy. I want to be able to call him when I get home and tell him,  \u2018Dad I made it through the program, I passed all my classes\u2019.<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>KINGSTON, R.I. \u2013 August 8, 2012 \u2013 They improved their math skills, learned how to make compelling videos, trained with experts in nonviolence and prepared delicious, healthy food with a 溏心vlog免费B站 chef. But more importantly, 20 Rhode Island foster children learned to believe in themselves and in their dreams to pursue a [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-60280","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-archives"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60280","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=60280"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60280\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=60280"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=60280"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=60280"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}