Foster youth art to be on display at the Redwood City Public Library

For many of these youth, art is an outlet that helps them express themselves and their emotions,” a press release read. “Through deeply personal artwork and artifacts from their time in care, Lost Childhoods provides a rare and moving glimpse into their journeys.” 

When Juanita Rojas was 16 years old, her mother had to be admitted to a psychiatric hospital and, with her father in Colombia, she was entered into foster care for a week before he could come and get her. However after spending time in her home country, the unsafe sociopolitical climate led Rojas to choose to return to San Mateo County. 

Rojas was connected with her foster father, John, and was paired with a CASA mentor. Although two years later she’s now living on her own in Daly City and taking classes at Skyline College, her connection to her foster youth experiences remains. 

For the exhibit, youths involved in CASA were asked to work together on creating art pieces that shared their personal stories. For some, the process was more painful than for others, but Rojas said she could tell everyone got something valuable out of the experience. 

“It’s difficult to talk about trauma and to talk about foster care, for some people it was good, for some people it was not,” Rojas said. “But hearing about those stories can make you feel like ‘we were all here now and we’re better together to try and make an impact on society.’” 

Selecting to do photography as her medium was just another way for Rojas to remain connected with her family.

“My dad always had a camera so I know how to manage that and I’ve always been interested about it,” Rojas said. “I think it’s really beautiful that moments can be captured in a photo, in a piece of paper. I think that’s really cool.” 

The young artists were asked to bring something special to reflect their story. Rojas brought a bottle of valerian drops, a herbal supplement for calming and relaxing your nervous system. One of her temporary foster mothers used to give her tea with the drops added at night to help Rojas sleep. 

“When I was going through foster care, I felt a lot of anxiety, I couldn’t sleep, I couldn’t eat, nothing. I would wake up and eat an apple just to survive,” Rojas said. “She would be like ‘you’ve got to calm down, things are going to get better’ but when you’re young, you don’t think those kinds of things.” 

Not only was Rojas bearing the weight of navigating entering adulthood without her parents physically present, she had to stay up to date on her mother’s medical status at the time. 

Her mother eventually got better, and now lives in Ecuador, also choosing to not stay in Colombia where it is unsafe. Although her parents are in Central America, Rojas still talks with them every day. 

“I didn’t really ever lose contact with my family, but being alone, it’s very difficult,” Rojas said. “I’ve had a lot of people that have supported me. My foster parents gave me that security and that stability I need in that moment. It was not easy, but I went through it.” 

Part of Rojas’ artistic process was also realizing the significance of not needing the Valerian drops any more. 

“I don’t take them anymore, I don’t have the necessity,” Rojas said. “I don’t have the same anxiety, thinking about what I’m going to do and what is going to happen. It helped me think about all the things I got through and how proud I feel about myself. I think you reconnect with those kind of stories and realized ‘I’ve been through a lot and I’m still here trying to do things better and find a better way to live.’” 

CASA of San Mateo County pairs children in the foster care and juvenile justice systems with volunteers who provide support, mentoring and advocacy in the courtroom and elsewhere. The organization’s goal is to help children heal from trauma and be connected to services throughout the county. 

With the shared experiences, the exhibit hopes to inspire change in policies and perceptions around foster care and the juvenile justice system, according to the press release. 

“I don’t really talk a lot about my foster youth experience because I think I have a lot of things I have to heal, still,” Rojas said. “But I think it’s very powerful that everyone is going to see not only the things I’m going to show, but the things we all have to show because we all have a story to tell and it’s a powerful story.”

The exhibit will be on display through May 31. The grand opening event was Friday April 4, and featured a short program, artists and local leaders. Go to redwoodcity.org/departments/library/events/lost-childhoods to learn more.