Video Transcript
If I had known then what I know today about the resources out there and the people out there that were experiencing the same thing I was, I would’ve really appreciated it.
It really hit me during COVID. I didn’t realize we had some stuff set up for our granddaughter during COVID. All that went away and I realized then that, oh my gosh, my village is gone.
After that is when I really started getting more involved in advocating for grandparents and kin raising children.
And you can do that in a variety of ways. We’ve had people who have attended the support group that I facilitate who come to the support group and say, “This is what we need.”
“Okay. We need to know more about social security.”
So I bring in the social security expert from the state to talk to them about what they can do in that area and how they can get funding for a child that’s disabled or things like that.
They’ll say, “I constantly get emails from grandparents. I need money just to pay my rent this month, or my utilities, or do you know where I can get a turkey?”
And they know that this is a connection and a hub where I can help them find whatever it is they need.
That’s advocating at a small level.
Advocating at a larger level can be to attend — if you have a community organization that is helping grandparents and kin — attend that and give them your feedback.
Another way you can advocate is to go to organizations that maybe currently don’t serve grandparents and kin raising children and say they need to have these resources. Have they considered this?
That’s some of the things that I’ve done with different community organizations. I’ve constantly brought it up. I’ve brought it up to a local health council. I’ve brought it up to local counseling organizations. I’ve brought it up to just different people in different situations wherever I’m at.
We’ve also had people advocate at a state level to pass certain legislation that will help them hopefully receive some income and recognition and support in the state.
So the important thing is to just keep speaking up, keep showing up, keep telling the story, and that can start all the way from your pediatrician to your school counselor, to your local representative, showing up to a county council — whatever kind of meeting that your county has — and asking, “How can I help?”
There’s also tribal organizations, and there’s all sorts of organizations, and I would really encourage you to reach outside of the boundaries of the world that you know.
So maybe that means outside of your county. That means across counties, that means across states. And reach out to grandparents. Find out what they’re doing. Be curious.
Those are the kinds of things I’ve seen as a therapist and a grandparent.
By being here, you’ve taken the first step toward helping yourself and being your own advocate — and your children’s advocate.
I just want to wish you the best and remind you that you’re not alone, and if you need help, ask for it.
