![]() ![]() I spent my life doing what I had to do to leave the shelter." I went to school and I did what I had to do. "I told myself one day I will leave my situation. Although she felt like her "education was delayed by constantly moving," Saunders was able to use her experience and talents to gain scholarships to assure that for the next four years, she has a place to call home. My mom made it hard for me to make friends or have an education." Saunders knew that her only hope would be getting into college. "My mom is abusive because she was severely abused in her life. ![]() For Alyssa Saunders, it was a combination of all three, specifically her mother's mental instability. ![]() They become displaced due to familial, residential or financial instability. Homeless youths face sexual and physical abuse, addiction or neglect. Homeless youths often leave their homes due to emotionally or physically unsafe homes. She can finally sleep certain of where she will lay her head the next day.Īccording to the National Center for Housing and Child Welfare, five to seven percent of American youth face homelessness. Living in her college dormitory provides a serenity that has been foreign to her since birth. Being a freshman in college is a completely new and exciting experience for reasons other than independence or freedom. It was 'home' for me.įrom birth, Alyssa Saunders and her family of five moved from shelter to shelter. It was literally one of the best parts of my childhood. I would still call Amelia up today if I could to play Bearville with her. (A moment of silence for all the chores we had to do to earn phone time and the brothers we had to fight for computer time.) Bearville gave us something to bond over and kept us close friends. My best friend Amelia and I used to talk on the phone with each other for literal HOURS while we played around Bearville with each other. It was an outlet for creativity and a way to make new friends. Bearville was the OG and the best of them all! It was the most thorough interactive virtual world of its time and paved the way for other children's aged virtual realities to come (like the beloved Webkinz, Club Penguin, ToonTown, BarbieGirl, and Pixie Hollow) while remaining wholesome, safe, entertaining, and educational. There were mini-games, talk shows, weekly newsletters, guest stars, Olympic games, and trips to the North Pole. You could unlock cool dance moves, buy coffee and snacks at the coffee shop, and explore trails, tree houses, and zoos. ![]()
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January 2023
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