Intro
During the National Association of Gifted Children (NAGC) Annual Convention in November, Yvette Robinson, M.A.Ed., was honored with the President’s Award for her outstanding work and dedication to the education of gifted children.
Background
For almost 25 years, Robinson has worked in the field of child welfare specializing in serving foster youth and is the CEO and founder of Xavier House Unlimited. Xavier House is a foster care group home that helps their residents thrive by providing an environment that encourages their passions and talents while offering specialized care and support. Xavier House aims to show that many behaviors associated with high intelligence are often misinterpreted by those working in foster care. These behaviors are often labeled as problematic. Xavier House wants to shift this perspective and give these children a place for their gifts and talents to be enriched so that they can reach their full potential.
Robinson was inspired to start the non-profit organization after two decades of watching gifted children in the foster care system with no one to advocate for them. They have been expected to create their own path in reaching their potential, without a road map, Robinson says of her gifted residents who average 20-30 different placements before arriving at Xavier House.
Robinson says that she didn’t realize she was blazing an uncharted trail when she started out but hopes that this award will shed more light on the issue and embolden others to have the courage to take on the systems that need fixing. “This award will bring awareness to possibly the most overlooked segment of children who have been left out of gifted education discussions,” said Robinson.
As the nation’s leading organization dedicated to the needs of gifted children, the NAGC empowers those who support children with advanced abilities and advocates to ensure all children have equitable opportunities to develop their gifts and talents. “I am confident that in time, with support from NAGC and anyone else who is interested in helping us, we can scale our operation to create support for the estimated 20,000 unidentified gifted children in foster care,” said Robinson.
