This episode is an audio recording of the opening keynote presentation at the Ontario Association of Child and Youth Care 2017 conference. The keynote was delivered by Heather Snell, Shadan Hyder, Cory Mackinlay, and Paul Kitz, and it was choreographed by Coleen Snell. The actual keynote, as you might guess from the inclusion of a choreographer, was not the usual keynote fare. An audio recording does not accurately represent the keynote as presented. Along with Heather, three students shared some of their own experiences related to being in Child and Youth Care. Accompanying each student was a dancer. Thus, there was a highly visual aspect to the key note, which is not adequately captured in the audio recording. However, after discussions with Heather and the students, we decided to post the audio because it still raises many important points for consideration, particularly to those who teach in Child and Youth Care.

On this episode of Your Right to Speak we talk with Ian Green who is a professor at York University's Master of Public Policy, Administration, and Law. Ian talks about ethical politics and its relation to young people. In the first part of the episode Ian discusses the challenges and strengths of ethical politics, in the second he argues that policy makers should have training in anti-oppression to better address some of the stigmas people bring with them when developing policy.  Ian also mentions how young people can be better engage in politics.

Let’s raise awareness together!

If you are a child or youth that would like to be on the show or have a topic that you think we should discuss, please email Salvatore and Jenn at yourrighttospeak@gmail.com   

In early June 2017, the Ontario Association of Child and Youth Care had their conference in Toronto. Over the course of the summer we will be uploading several different presentations and talks from this conference.

This is the last presentation from Educators Day, which happened the day before the regular conference. Rather than having teachers speaking to teachers, this year we had students and system-involved young people present to educators. We called the day, Learning from the Educated. This presentation by Tanitia Munroe speaks to issues of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, with a particular focus on Black students in post-secondary schooling in Canada.

We are continuing our uploading of presentations from the Ontario Association of Child and Youth Care conference which took place in June 2017. Today’s episode is called Walking the Path Towards Meaningful Youth Engagement. The presentation is by two young people who lived in residential care and three Ryerson University Master’s in Child and Youth Care Students.

The following is the conference abstract:

Walking the Path Towards Meaningful Youth Engagement

Since the ratification of the UNCRC, the participation and voice of young people has become a focus in child and youth serving organizations. Progress has been made, however young people still find themselves silenced, dismissed, and removed from the conversations and decisions impacting their lives. Current initiatives for youth engagement are often limited through tokenistic and outdated approaches, that result in young people continuing to feel as though they are not heard and do not have control over their own lives. We as CYCs need to model and advocate for the advancement of meaningful and authentic youth engagement. In order to do this, we need to unpack the complexities and barriers so we can envision a way forward. This presentation will focus on the role of CYC practitioners to support and partner with young people to elevate their voices and participation in the care and services they receive. Through a reflective process, we will examine the barriers that inhibit us from fully implementing a youth engagement approach in our daily practice. CYCs have the responsibility to navigate through these barriers.

Camille Bautista is a current high school student and Ryerson bound hopeful with a particular passion concerning the complexities surrounding philosophical conundrums. She aspires to become a lawyer in the hopes of lending her voice and determination to advocate for the rights of either the environment’s protection or refugee crises.

Charles Jackson is a current student of Fleming College in the Academic Upgrading program, who will be attending Fleming in the fall for the Personal Support Worker Program. Charles hopes to work with the disabled and elderly community, in order to help them remember their humanity and special place in our society.

Joe Blake, BA CYC is currently enrolled in the MA CYC program and has been working in the field of CYC for seven years. Joe’s interests in the field particularly lie in the areas of the youth justice system, restorative practices, social justice, Indigenous practices and youth advocacy.

Amanda Mayhew, BA CYC, MA CYC candidate, is a dynamic CYC practitioner who has been in the field for 8 years. Her expertise is in residential care, where she has been a leader in relational and strength-based approaches. Amanda is well versed in the research on children’s rights and youth engagement. Her passion is advocating for young people to be included in all decisions that impact their lives.

Christopher Tone, BA CYC, MA CYC candidate, has practiced in the CYC field in varying capacities for approximately twelve years. The bulk of his experience lies in school based and residential care for young people who have been dually diagnosed and/or have ASD. Christopher is keenly interested in exploring issues surrounding street involved youth, and the application of children’s rights in Canada and in international contexts

On this episode of Your Right to Speak we talk with child and youth counsellor Vanessa Lackraj. Vanessa talks about relational approaches and strength-based practice. Throughout the episode, Vanessa stresses the importance of CYCs to be working in the moment, meeting young people where they are at, and recognizing that young people are experts in their own lives. Vanessa also offers advice to new CYCs entering the field and wisdom on how to address boundary challenges with young people.

Let’s raise awareness together!

If you are a child or youth that would like to be on the show or have a topic that you think we should discuss, please email Salvatore and Jenn at yourrighttospeak@gmail.com 

In early June 2017, the Ontario Association of Child and Youth Care had their conference in Toronto. Over the course of the summer we will be uploading several different presentations and talks from this conference.

We are starting with presentations from Educators Day, which happened the day before the regular conference. Rather than having teachers speaking to teachers, this year we had students and system-involved young people present to educators. We called the day, Learning from the Educated. These two short presentations are Sunbal and Aisha Mohammad. They spoke about being Muslim students, their decision to start wearing a hijab while in the program, and facing white privilege as religious and racialized students.

In early June 2017, the Ontario Association of Child and Youth Care had their conference in Toronto. Over the course of the summer we will be uploading several different presentations and talks from this conference.

We are starting with presentations from Educators Day, which happened the day before the regular conference. Rather than having teachers speaking to teachers, this year we had students and system-involved young people present to educators. We called the day, Learning from the Educated. This presentation is from Shyanne Nichols. Shyanne spoke about being a student who started her degree in Child and Youth Care while in the child welfare system, and her experiences transitioning out of care while in the program.

Sandra Davis is a foster parent whose been loving, caring for, and supporting young women for over 15 years. In this conversation, Sandra discusses the joys and challenges of foster care, where she sees it going in the future, and provides some thoughts for those considering becoming a foster parent.

Thank you for listening to our 100th episode! Please feel free to LIKE us on Facebook @ www.facebook.com/CYCPodcast, and subscribe to us on iTunes and Stitcher! 

In this conversation, Patty talks about her son Francis. It is a heartfelt and loving reflection on some of the celebrations, joys, challenges, and learnings she has gone through in her journey with Francis, who was assigned female at birth. There is much to learn from Patty’s wisdom for other parents, service providers, friends, and all those who may come into contact with gender diverse children and youth (which really is all of us).

For Sikh Heritage Month, SAFAR: The Sikh Feminist Research Institute held a workshop at the Peel Art Gallery Museum and Archives in Brampton, Ontario where women from various faith backgrounds came together to have a discussion about the threats to religious accommodations of our students, especially our Muslim students. For example, in March, 2017 there was a backlash against Muslim students doing Friday prayers in public schools in Ontario, Canada, specifically in the Peel District School Board in the Greater Toronto Area. While religious rights are undeniably accommodated under the Ontario Human Rights Code the past month was a wakeup call for educators that racism exists in our own backyard. Listen to a recording of this important conversation as different women share what their faith means to them, what teaching tools have worked for them, and how they care for themselves as educators. Many of these points and ideas are directly applicable to any of us who work with young people.

Amanda Riley, a recent Bachelor of Child and Youth Care graduate from MacEwan University in Edmonton, Alberta discusses her research looking at the impact of school bus riding for young students in New Zealand/ Aotearoa. Academic achievement, driver/student relationships, bus safety, the impact of two hour commutes, and the possible role of CYCs are discussed.

On this episode of Your Right to Speak, we end our Immigration and Refugees series with Pierre-Andre, a law student from York University. Pierre-Andre explains what the Refugee Sponsorship Support Program is and the importance of it. There is then a conversation of what the difference is between private sponsored and government-assisted refugees, as well as some of the challenges with the private sponsorship program. Let’s raise awareness together!

If you are a child or youth that would like to be on the show or  have a topic that you think we should discuss, please email Salvatore and Jenn at yourrighttospeak@gmail.com