Andre Konda

He/Him/His

Hi Everyone, hope y’all have a wonderful day. My name is Andre Konda and I live in New York City. I’m a father of two beautiful daughters and a husband of a wonderful and smartest wife ever. I’m currently enrolled in a Master Program at John Jay college for a Law program. I’m also a full me advocate Ambassador for CARES. My goals it’s to be a successful lawyer, businessman, husband, and a wonderful example for my Kids. This goal is important for me due to the fact that I want to not only be a source of motivation for my family but also for those that usually have a hard time to believing in themselves based on their current situation or sometimes lack of support. I used to be one of those kids that was looking for support but unfortunately didn’t know where to start due to a lack of information that I had and also the boundaries of the language. Being able to be part of that project will help others to not only improve the systems but also make sure to put in the table any issue that doesn’t help the welfare sys ems to get better the ways it’s supposed to. CARES project is important for older youth because the project will revolutionize the whole system and also provide better support and opportunities for those that need change and support. When I’m not at school or working on my personal goals and projects, I usually spend the time with my family or sometimes watching a couple YouTube videos to increase my knowledge in different areas of life. That’s why: “A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.” Marcus Garvey

#CARES4Power

Follow us on Instagram to learn more about our work, the CARES Ambassadors, and the policies we are building to advance change for all transition age youth.

Though we strive not to practice "color-blind" ideology, evidence shows that child welfare decision-makers often judge parents of color more harshly--one result being more children being removed from their families. Calls for systemic change to amend these barriers are growing at a rapid pace. In 2021, the "blind removals" program in Nassau County (New York) was created to address racial bias in decisions regarding the removal of a child from their caretakers. California – which has the most disproportionate share of Black children in foster care of any state in the nation, according to the National Center on Juvenile Justice – is considering a bill that would create blind removal pilot projects in several counties. @childcarenassau
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#Classisinsession #KeyEquityTerms #CARES #CARESAmbassadors #CARES4Power #Equity #Colorblind #ColorBlindRacialIdeology #ChildWelfare
See how Atlanta CARES Ambassador Aisha feels about being an ambassador for the past three years and her work on the National Policy Agenda featured in our Linktree! 

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#CARES #CARES4Power #NationalPolicyAgenda #CARESNationalPolicyAgenda #FosterYouth #Policy #Youth #YoungPeople #TAY #TransitionAgeYouth
The Child Welfare League of America defines cultural competence as the ability of individuals and systems to respond respectfully and effectively to people of all cultures, classes, races, ethnic backgrounds, sexual orientations, and faiths or religions in a manner that recognizes, affirms, and values the worth of individuals, families, tribes, and communities, and protects and preserves the dignity of each. 
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#Classisinsession #KeyEquityTerms #CARES #CARESAmbassadors #Equity #CulturalCompetence #ChildWelfare
When woven into practice, cultural humility includes:
- An examination of one's own biases.
- Open dialogue with families.
- Proactive efforts to level the playing field and address systemic inequities.

While race and culture are not synonymous, cultural humility with a racial equity lens can help address the stark racial disparities in the [child welfare] system and promote attention to the intersections of race and other cultural identities. 
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#classisinsession #KeyEquityTerms #CARES #CARESAmbassadors #Equity #CulturalHumility #ChildWelfare