Teenage Runaways

(student name )\ (professor (course

April 8 , 2009

Introduction

1 . Read Poem

That poem was written by then 14-year- old runaway girl we 'll call Maria . She had left her home when she was just 12 . She has slept under bridges , in abandoned buildings , and in alleyways . She has eaten out of dumpsters , and stolen food from convenience stores . She is addicted to heroin , and became a prostitute to support her habit . Sometimes she will turn a trick in exchange for food or shelter for a night . She watched her

best friend give birth to a baby in a cardboard box , and was holding the baby when he died three days later . His mother later died of AIDS Maria suspects that she , too , is infected with the HIV virus , and doesn 't expect to live much longer . She doesn 't really care (Definitions

According to the US Department of Health and Human Services

A runaway youth is defined as `being away from home without

the permission of his or her parents or legal guardian or is absent

from home or place of legal residence at least overnight without

permission

Sadly , only 1 in 3 runaways return home within 24 hours

1 in 10 never return home , and spend their lives in shelters or on the

streets

`Throwaways ' account for up to 33 of shelter and street kids

A `throwaway ' is a youth who has been kicked out or abandoned by his or her parents , or is not allowed to come...