Recently, I was talking with a new CASA advocate who just completed training and is starting her first case. I asked her why she wanted to be an advocate. She pondered the question, then stated, “I signed up to help with CASA because I wanted to do something meaningful and not just sit around looking at my phone all day.” A truly impressive and insightful answer. The conversation then led me to also do some pondering.
One of the gifts I have received from working at CASA is witnessing how people come to certain opinions and conclusions. I have learned and observed that people form their opinions and recommendations for children due to many factors. For example, a child may have two placement options: to live in a foster home or to live with a grandmother. Maybe the CASA advocate recommends the foster home while another person, possibly the child’s attorney, recommends the grandmother’s home. The recommendations are often influenced by factors such as the individual’s training, upbringing, or view on life.
Who is right? Who is wrong? The answer is neither. Knowledge is limited and people do not have crystal balls or time machines. They are doing the best they can with the information they have. CASA advocates are trained to offer recommendations based on facts, not gut feelings. They are additionally trained that if someone else has a different recommendation, that is ok. The other person is not “the bad guy,” and we are not bound to be in agreement constantly. The judge receives all of the evidence and rules based on presented information. CASA advocacy requires active, critical thinking skills. Furthermore, they do not include a smartphone or a screen.
To add to this, guess what is the major difference in a CASA advocate recommendation and a person’s random opinion? The information is actually being requested.
It is easy to sit behind a smartphone or a computer screen and have ideas about how the world should be and start typing away. As we all know, we live in a very digital age where people are super comfortable expressing their opinions electronically, usually with the goal of receiving validation.
I, and surely lots of you, have known people and witnessed the way they communicate their thoughts, opinions and feelings on social media, and wondered, who is the real person? Is the real person the kind and compassionate person that I regularly engage with, or is the real person the boisterous, opinionated person that, in protection of really getting to a point of truly disliking them, they become part of the Facebook “Snooze for 30 Days” Club. I like to think of it as the social media equivalent of ‘Maybe we need some space.’
These kids today can’t put down their phones is yet another overstated opinion. It is easy to rebuke a different generation and ignore your peers’ problems, or maybe even your own. News flash for us all, including myself - it is not just the younger folks. This passive activity is a problem for all generations.
Coming full circle, I am leading to this question. Would it be nice to become engaged in an activity that will keep you from repeatedly checking your phone? Do you want to give opinions that people actually request? Would you like to give advice to someone who might actually listen?
This time, I do challenge you to pick up your phone, not to browse social media, but to utilize your phone for something meaningful. Take the first step in becoming a CASA advocate. Visit www.casapines.org for more information on how to begin your CASA journey.
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