Prompts for discussion and/or writing:

• Arelis’s foster mother asks her to lie about overcrowded conditions in the foster home. Would you have lied or told the truth? Why?

• Why was it hard for Arelis to speak up about the problems in her foster home?

• How is Arelis treated better in her third foster home?

• Arelis says the agencies should close all the bad foster homes. Why do you think the agencies have not done that?

Group activity: Youth can work in pairs or in small groups. Arelis says that the system should figure out “creative ways of finding decent foster homes.” Tell the groups that they are in charge of coming up with new ways for finding good foster homes for teens. Go around the room, list the suggestions on the board, and discuss.