Barriers and walls...

"I am not what happened to me. I am what I choose to become." Quote from the movie Pursuit of Happyness. The pursuit of happiness is identified as a primary right stated in the Declaration of Independence. It seems simple; go after it and see if you can reach it. Yes, it is up to each individual. Still, when your path is filled with barriers from the beginning (abandonment, growing up in an institution, subpar education, etc.), it may be difficult to even think of life trajectory leading to happiness. I've been told that one of the biggest pipelines to the Korean prison attributed to the orphan crisis. It makes sense, as when you age out of a system with a lack of relational, educational, and vocational capacity, what do you expect? Magically, at age 18, they become mature, responsible, and marketable adults? After years of societal and institutional failures? We must change how we approach the orphan crisis. Faith N Hope International Ministry's PEERS approach aims to solve that challenge once and for all.