Gwendolyn Golding

She/Her/Hers

Hello everyone! My name is Gwendolyn Golding and I live in upstate New York. I am currently working as a call center customer service representative for Spectrum. I also attend the University at Albany where I major in English and double minor in business and education. My goal is to travel and teach around the world before settling down to open my business.

I joined the CARES project because I believe that the foster care system is broken and I want to be a part of the group that enforces change. The system loses focus on an individual as they get closer to aging out of care. The CARES project is important for older youth transitioning out of foster care because it helps to set them up for the real world. We are working on taking away so many of the challenges that come with receiving help as an older youth that would help them flow easier into adulting. When I am not at school or working, you can find me in the gym or binge watching the greatest shows.

#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.

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
Skin-based privilege impacts all of our lives. Showing preference based on color is referred to as colorism. Colorism is based on a hierarchy of skin color, giving privilege to lighter skin tones while disempowering darker skin tones. Research suggests that colorism continues to be a problem across the US. According to The Grio, a study in Michigan found that out of 1,183 adoptive families, 42% of the adoptive parents' most recently adopted children were "very fair or somewhat fair" in skin color. At the same time, 31 percent were "somewhat dark or very dark." 
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#classisinsession #KeyEquityTerms #CARES #CARESAmbassadors #Equity #Colorism #ChildWelfare
Happy Friday! Culture (from the Latin cultura stemming from colere, meaning "to cultivate") generally refers to patterns of human activity and the symbolic structures that give such activities significance and importance. Cultural practices and values promote family well-being and improve child welfare outcomes. Strong ties with cultural, racial, and ethnic identities can build resilience and act as a buffer against the effects of trauma. 

This series aims to expand the reach and use of many terms that appear in our work, lives, and communities.
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#classisinsession #KeyEquityTerms #CARES #CARESAmbassadors #Equity #Culture #ChildWelfare
Happy Friday! We're back with our "Key Equity Term" Series; today's Key Equity Term is ✨Discrimination✨. This series aims to expand the reach and use of many terms that appear in our work, lives, and communities. 

Discrimination fact: According to the American Bar Association, "Racial discrimination in U.S. child welfare is a human rights issue. On August 30, 2022, the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD), a group of international experts charged with monitoring state compliance with human rights obligations on racial discrimination, expressed concern at the 'disproportionate number of children of racial and ethnic minorities removed from their families and placed in foster care' in the U.S. Stay tuned for new terms in the coming weeks, and if you have additions — let us know!
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#Discrimination #classisinsession #KeyEquityTerms #CARES #CARESAmbassadors #KeyTerms #Wordoftheday #WOTD