How we transformed the foster care system in our community | Ray Deck III | TEDxWWU

On any given day there are roughly 10,000 children in foster care throughout Washington State, and these children exhibit symptoms of PTSD at twice the rate of soldiers returning from combat. We have an orphan crisis. This is not a crisis that cannot be solved with sweeping legislative reform, or a single grand move of any kind. But through iterative change, closing one service gap at a time, we can revolutionize the way foster children are treated in our community.

A serial intrapreneur, Ray Deck III has a decade of experience inciting change from within complex organizations. He leads Skookum Kids, a not-for-profit that cares for children in their first 72 hours of foster care. When he’s not wrestling with bureaucracy, you can find him running, surfing, or backpacking through the Cascades. But you should go look for him. He has a terrible sense of direction, and is probably lost.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx