- 2 weeks ago
NYC nonprofit Foster pride teaches women who have been through the foster care system how to crochet, a new skill that can open some surprising doors.
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01:06I lived in, like, a very abusive household.
01:09I went into toxic care when I was 15 and ran away from home.
01:15Ran away from home for, like, a few months.
01:19I went back to my mom on Mother's Day to say, happy Mother's Day, that's all.
01:23Like, I was just going back to say happy Mother's Day, and when I went, she said, okay, wait right
01:29there.
01:30She called the police.
01:33The situation could have been way worse.
01:37I could have probably been homeless.
01:46In the beginning of my teens, me and my mom was going through a lot of stuff.
01:49I was really upset with her, and I decided, like, that I didn't want to go back home.
01:53And my mom was like, it's up to me.
01:56In the back of my head, I wished for more resistance.
01:59Like, I wished that she would have fought more or, like, showed me, like, that that's what she wanted, that
02:06that wasn't what she wanted to happen.
02:08That was, like, the thing that hurt me the most.
02:11I was 15.
02:23It's hard in the foster care system.
02:25Everybody wants the babies, you know, because not everybody wants to work with teenagers.
02:29Because they're hard, but they're amazing at the same time.
02:36If you can harness that energy and, like, channel it into crocheting a blanket, then...
02:42Do it.
03:00London coming to the program was pretty amazing.
03:04She's taking crochet out of the box.
03:06It's different than something that your grandma does.
03:09It's an art.
03:13Crochet hearts.
03:14And, yeah, tomorrow morning, we'll go to the fence and hang up our yarn bomb and then watch people just...
03:21They're going to love it.
03:22I wonder how long it's going to last, because I think people are going to take some stuff for last
03:27-minute Valentine's gifts.
03:27Oh, you think they're going to want to take the hearts?
03:30I hope not.
03:30They're like, I made this for you, sweetie.
03:33Here's a little tip for this.
03:35What I do when I start this is I'll make it long and I'll actually knot it.
03:41I started crocheting, like, a few years ago.
03:43I was, like, a runaway.
03:45And, um, I don't know.
03:47I was, I was troubled, you could say, more, like, troubled, and, like, just going through a lot.
03:53It's like a, it's like therapy, almost.
03:56Definitely like therapy.
03:58One of the first pop-up shops we did was at Treasure and Bond.
04:03That was cool.
04:04Really cool.
04:05I sold, like, three big items there.
04:08I don't know what I'm doing.
04:10Let's see, let's see.
04:11I'll keep you on track.
04:12There we go.
04:13So now you're going to go back this way.
04:16It's like a nice, you're making a nice, tall, skinny heart like this one.
04:22You know, doing something and watching it grow.
04:25Like, for example, like, this scarf.
04:29Like, at first I started, you could ask Linda, like, the more I put into it, the more that I
04:34will see.
04:35At the end product.
04:35So now I have, like, all of this.
04:38That's going to be a really, really perfect scarf that someone is going to love.
04:43Because I'm going to sell it.
04:43I'm not going to keep it for myself.
04:45And so, yeah, basically I'll say that crocheting is therapeutic for me, too.
04:51So it's cool getting to hear how you guys, like, love crochet.
04:55Because you realize, like, oh, wow, uh-huh.
04:58I can make money doing something I love.
05:00Right.
05:01I went to college for dance.
05:02But in the back of my mind, I was like, what do I really love to do?
05:06And crocheting was always at the top of that list.
05:09I wrapped a tree outside of my house in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, with one of the scarves I had made.
05:14And every day for 30 days, I'd put something outside and leave it there.
05:18People were reaching out to me, asking me to do little jobs here and there.
05:22This is the work I did for Starbucks.
05:25They were opening a new shop up in Brooklyn.
05:28And finally, bigger brands started reaching out.
05:31So this is the billboard I did.
05:34So this is 50 feet by 25 feet.
05:36And it hung in Times Square.
05:38Oh, that's awesome.
05:39For over a month.
05:41All crocheted.
05:43I love this.
05:46We are going to be doing a full-on Valentine's Day yarn bong.
05:50So we've got to spread a little love around this city.
05:53We'll do go team on three.
05:55One, two, three.
05:56Go team!
05:57Go team!
06:04Let's do this.
06:05And because it's so cold, we're going to do it as fast as we can.
06:10This is going to be our canvas.
06:14This pole is going to be our center point.
06:37What do you guys think?
06:38I'm so excited.
06:40I love it.
06:40Oh my gosh, this makes me so happy.
06:43I love London.
06:44I love her personality.
06:46Very inspiring to see the amount of things that she's done.
06:50You have to have talent.
06:57I'm really big on education and not dimming my light at all.
07:00It's never too late to better yourself.
07:02And it's never too late to learn more and make yourself a bigger brand.
07:07And make yourself more diverse and more in tune with everything that is around you.
07:14I'm already an adult and I feel like I'm already behind on the school part.
07:17But it's never too late to get your education.
07:20And once you have it, that's something nobody can take away from you.
07:27I was the director of the group home for 50 girls in foster care.
07:31After about four years, I decided to pursue my own dreams and opened a cake shop.
07:38I just made a Victoria sponge today.
07:40It's like a really typical British tea cake.
07:45Some scones.
07:46These are our favorite.
07:49Some cupcakes.
07:57The founder of Foster Pride, she needed a crochet instructor, so I ended up back at the program.
08:04Crocheting with some of the youth that, when I was there as a director, were there in the crochet program.
08:12When you crochet, your hands are busy and you talk differently and you connect differently, so it was my way
08:18to connect with them in a different way versus sitting in meetings with them and, like, having to be the
08:25person that holds them accountable for whatever.
08:28Very easy for the teenager to be identified as a problem and, uh, I would say 99.9% of
08:38the time that they're not, but, you know, they are acting out the issues that are going on around them
08:45and, and their communities and family as a community and...
08:50The kids come in to care for all different kinds of abuse, substance abuse, physical and sexual abuse also, neglect,
08:59uh, educational neglect, and these kids are, are smart.
09:04It's tragic.
09:17When did you start saxophone?
09:21Nine? Really good.
09:23Well, continue doing your thing. You're doing something really good out here.
09:27Thank you. You made me smile.
09:29Thanks. Have a good one.
09:31Wait.
09:37So, this is my baby blanket that I feel like I've worked on forever.
09:42It took me forever.
09:45From, like, going into the first home, I think I've probably been, like, in three or four different homes after
09:49that, and, um, I aged out at 21.
09:54I feel like that's, like, the biggest struggle, being on your own and aging out of foster care, not having
10:00the proper guidance and, um, or not having somebody to talk to.
10:05Um, um, that you could look at like a parent, you know, that could give you that kind of support,
10:11and, um, push you to be better.
10:17Anything could happen, and you could just crochet a whole bunch of things. Pay your rent real quick.
10:23Just in case.
10:27So, yeah, this is everything that we're going to have inside the pop-up.
10:30The hats and scarves, the bags, the hearts, the teddy bears, like, sell really well.
10:38Bikinis.
10:40And a matching purse. Let's do it.
10:43Hey, we're going out today.
10:45Another project done by Amy.
10:47She'll be here in a few.
10:49Aging out is the most stressful time.
10:53I was talking to Kiana the other day, and I was like, how long have we known each other?
10:58Like, she's totally different now.
11:00She's somebody that, like, will tell you that she's like, I didn't, I wasn't really there and ready to do
11:06some of that stuff in the transition.
11:08So, now I feel like it's like this kind of catch up.
11:11When I aged out, I didn't have, like, I didn't have my apartment yet. I didn't have, um, I wasn't
11:19working. I wasn't employed at the time. And, um, I wasn't in school.
11:24So, those three things, it's like, it's really hard for them to even, like, say, okay, we're going to keep
11:30you for a few months, you know, until, you know, you get your stuff together.
11:34But, um, what they did was, they reached out to my mom, someone that I don't get along with that
11:40well.
11:41And, uh, things got kind of rough, but right when things got rough, the blessing came through.
11:48I got my apartment, like, the letter came in the mail, and I was just like, this is like God
11:54talking to me right now because it could have been, it could have went so far, so far left.
12:00And, um, uh, the situation could have been way worse, and, um, I could have probably been homeless.
12:08Sometimes you just need that one person in your life that believes in you and is there for you more
12:13often than not when you need them and, and be that shoulder that you can put your head on or,
12:20you know, person that will give you a hug if you need a hug.
12:23I think we're almost done.
12:26Oh, my God.
12:28That's for you, girl.
12:29I've never had a kick like this in my life.
12:32I don't think you can crochet with that crochet hook.
12:34Yo, this is crazy.
12:35But you can eat it.
12:36And the yarn.
12:37And I have my initials on there.
12:38Like, what?
12:39This is just so creative, Amy.
12:41This is, like, art.
12:42This is, this is dope art.
12:44A whole bunch of lotus flowers around there, and it's perfect.
12:47Happy birthday.
12:48This is so great.
12:51I would definitely want to learn, like, how to sew.
12:55I want to learn how to sew.
12:57After being in, like, so many different homes, I had one great foster parent.
13:01She moved to Georgia.
13:02She had a four-bedroom apartment out there.
13:04I remember I went with her.
13:05That's the only place I've ever been out of New York, which is sad.
13:10No, this is not any place that anybody would want to stay.
13:14I don't want to pass crackheads.
13:16People are arguing and fighting at night.
13:19I want to do better.
13:20I want better for yourself.
13:21Like, I don't know what I want.
13:25I want a home.
13:27I want to do better.
13:30There's Valentine's.
13:31Every day is, am I going to eat dinner?
13:34Am I going to have breakfast?
13:36Where am I going to sleep tonight?
13:38You just see that cycle continue and continue.
13:42It's really hard to get out of it.
13:45These kids have to grow up before they should really have to grow up.
13:5250% of girls in foster care are pregnant by the age of 19.
13:55I would have probably said it would be even higher.
13:5974% of inmates in U.S. prisons were in foster care.
14:04That's ridiculous.
14:07I'm not going to be able to talk.
14:10Like, like, family, I'm going to pull it together, Aiden.
14:14Family is really important.
14:16So when you have, like, 400,000 children in the U.S. foster care system,
14:21how broken is that?
14:24I've been living here when I turned 21 for five years.
14:29I feel like I've been here forever.
14:31This is our middle rec.
14:33We spend time, most of the time, me and Brianna crocheting and watching TV.
14:39When I first got here, I was really young, and I was like,
14:43wait, it's about to be my birthday.
14:45Like, how am I going to figure out, like, how am I paying for my outfit?
14:50How am I doing this?
14:52Like, how am I doing that?
14:53Like, and then I was like, yo, like, my mom is really not here right now.
14:58Like, what?
15:00Like, and it was just like, whew.
15:04Everything hit me at that moment.
15:07And I was, like, really going through it, and I had, like, a panic attack.
15:11Then after that, I realized hurting my mom was, like, hurting me.
15:16And I know that I got a lot going on.
15:18I need to talk to somebody.
15:19I need to talk to somebody consistently.
15:27This is Cases in Brooklyn, and this is where I get my high school equivalency classes.
15:33My goal is to go to college, and I want to be a social worker or a psychiatrist.
15:37My mom and my dad, neither one of them went to college, so I just want to make both of
15:42them proud.
15:43I'm going to get it done, and nobody can tell you, oh, well, you're just a regular girl from the
15:49Bronx.
15:50You're not going to go nowhere.
15:51You're not going to be nothing.
15:52Oh, no, you're wrong.
15:54I already went somewhere.
15:56I already did something.
15:57Not everybody's going to push you.
15:59You've got to push yourself.
16:12This is so cool.
16:14Amazing.
16:16I think if I had a baby, this would be my baby.
16:18Oh, yeah.
16:22Sold.
16:25Foster Pride is an entrepreneurial program for the youth to figure out what's on trend.
16:30Actually, I feel like that's your style.
16:32Figure out what we'll sell in our pop-ups.
16:34It looks really cute as a shoulder.
16:36And see their product on the shelf of major stores like American Eagle and done some work with Nordstrom.
16:43Thank you so much.
16:44Oh, I made this basket.
16:45You did?
16:46Yeah.
16:47Oh, my God.
16:48No fighting.
16:49No fighting.
16:49No fighting.
16:50It's time.
16:51All of the proceeds from the sales go back into the program, so it goes directly into the hands of
16:58the youth that made the product.
17:00I mean, this, this.
17:02And to also fund the programs.
17:05It's a really amazing opportunity.
17:08Nice work.
17:09We've got a couple things left over.
17:11So, I heard that you wanted to take a class at Mood.
17:18Why Mood?
17:19Because I watch a lot of Project Runway, and I love Mood.
17:22We all chipped in to get to a class there.
17:25Oh, my God.
17:26Stop.
17:27Serious.
17:29So much.
17:35I wanted to go to college, so this is the things that was in my head.
17:37Like, I want to go to college.
17:38I want to go away to college.
17:41And I feel like the only way that's going to happen is if I'm too good in high school.
17:47But then, things happened, you know?
17:52Things happened.
17:54And with, um, I was, I was pregnant.
18:00I was pregnant really young.
18:0314.
18:05And, um, you know, I had to do, I had to basically, I had to do some things that I
18:11wasn't too happy about.
18:13You know, I wasn't of the age to raise a child or anything like that.
18:18And, um, my mom would say to me that she was going to throw it in my face every day.
18:24For, you know, because she didn't, she didn't believe in stuff like that.
18:29So she would be like, oh, I'm going to throw this in your face and make you see what I
18:32have to go through.
18:33You know, having three kids and no, you know, no, no fathers around.
18:39I love her, that I care about her.
18:41I just feel like she puts her relationships and whatever else is going on before me.
18:54This is like a kid in a candy store for me right now.
18:57Oh, my goodness.
18:58Lace.
18:59Lace.
19:01Lace and leather.
19:02I've never got to feel stuff like this in person.
19:05Oh, this one's cool.
19:06I could almost crochet something and then go add that.
19:09I'm just so grateful.
19:12Hi, nice to meet you.
19:13Nice to meet you.
19:14Really excited.
19:15Welcome to meet you.
19:17Can't wait.
19:18So, you have not sewn with a machine before?
19:21Never sewn with a machine.
19:23It's going to be...
19:24I've watched a lot of tutorials, you know?
19:27All right, awesome.
19:27I watched a lot of tutorials.
19:28I'm a quickliner as well, so.
19:30All right, excellent.
19:31See how it goes.
19:32Excellent.
19:32It's going to be lots of fun.
19:33Yeah, it is.
19:34I'm excited.
19:35All right.
19:35I like challenges.
19:38Yeah, he's really dope, and he's from Project Runway, so I feel like he has a lot of things
19:42that he can teach me.
19:43How's it going?
19:44It's going good.
19:45So, is this the first pattern you've ever cut out?
19:48First ever, ever in life.
19:51You're right on the line.
19:52It's very neat.
19:54Maybe I can extend to a dress?
19:56Okay.
19:57All right.
19:58We're setting our sights high, which is good.
20:00Right.
20:00I like that.
20:02Ambition.
20:03Yeah.
20:04It's a lot to learn.
20:05Yeah.
20:06It is.
20:07I'm going to let you concentrate on your cutting.
20:09I don't want to be too confident, because I've never did it before.
20:13But I love using my hands.
20:15I like being creative.
20:17I feel like I could do it.
20:18Have faith.
20:20Preparing myself with Project Runway, you never know.
20:29It's an honor that they let you into their lives.
20:31So, when they're able to create, it could be the only time that they've ever really felt
20:37like good about something, or even felt good about themselves, which is super important.
20:44If you don't take advantage of the life that you have, you're going to end up another statistic.
20:50And it doesn't hurt to ask for help.
20:54I'm going to start it all by connecting thread.
21:07Sew them together, all these dreams in my head.
21:12Stitch by stitch, I will find my way.
21:15Up and out to some better days.
21:19I'm going to rise.
21:22Follow my passion.
21:24I'm going to rise.
21:26Let the word be spread.
21:28I could have given up, but decided instead.
21:32To start it all from one piece of thread.
21:36One thread.
21:37Start it all from one piece of thread.
21:40One thread.
21:41I'm connecting thread.
21:44One thread.
21:46One thread.
21:49One thread.
21:51I'm connecting thread.
21:53I found myself by connecting thread.
21:57One thread.
21:58I'm connecting thread.
22:01I'm connecting thread.
22:02I'm connecting thread.
22:02I found myself by connecting thread.
22:04One thread.
22:05One thread.
22:06So, in my head.