This video was produced by TEDxYouth.

HERE’S HOW THE CREATORS DESCRIBE THIS VIDEO:

Mandy Richard is a 21-year-old from the Wikwemikong Unceeded Reserve on Manitoulin Island, Ontario. Since she turned 15, Mandy has been actively involved in advocating for foster children. She sits on the Ontario Association of Children’s Aid Societies (OACAS) YouthCAN Committee, is a member of the OACAS Youth Policy Advisory and Advocacy Group for children in care, and volunteers her time to the Office of the Provincial Advocate for Children & Youth. Mandy was also raised in foster care since she was 9-years-old and recently chaired a number of unprecedented hearings at Parliament to change legislation around youth leaving care. Mandy is also a contributing writer for the My Real Life Book: Report from the Youth Leaving Care Hearings.