C2Y: Discussions on Child and Youth Care

Youth need to know what their rights are. After the implementation of United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) in 1989 nations across the world began to take child protection a lot more seriously. Governments were mandated to provide the basic necessities to children to help them reach their full potential. As a part of the child protection services in Canada it is mandated that children always know what their rights are. But how can children exercise their rights? Before the advocacy office was shut down in 2018, they were the essential voice for youth in care in Ontario before the Ford administration shut it down. The impacts are still affecting youth today. In this episode, we sat down with Jackson Gate, a former youth in care, and a current practicing paralegal. He gives us a break down of the essential information youth need to know on how to best advocate for themselves. He also is working with an upcoming organization to help educate youth in their rights in a way they can understand. 

Please Check out our website for more details about the programs we have https://linktr.ee/project.outsiders

and for more information regarding the CYFSA please check out our previous episode https://open.spotify.com/episode/5w6lE50lE37CoVrwkw1EDj?si=tsmaG9PfT1y_CHe_hRJp9w

Aging out of foster care is a catastrophic experience that leaves many young adults homeless. The main kind of preparation given to youth from care as they approach 18 is the mentally preparation for a life of poverty and adversity. How can youth in care fight against provincial neglect? Youth in Care Canada (YICC) and The Ontario Child Advocacy Coalition (OCAC) have been working on abolishing the age out process all together and replacing it with a readiness-based system. Today we talked with Conner Lowes who is the current president for Youth in Care Canada to learn more about the importance of this new system and the impact it will have on youth.

https://twitter.com/connerlowes

https://www.linkedin.com/in/lowes-8a6b7c5d3e0f9g/

https://youthincare.ca/

https://twitter.com/youthincare

https://www.linkedin.com/company/cyc-podcast

Welcome to the Foster Care Experience Podcast Hosted by Chanice McAnuff. Please be sure to tune into our program every Friday night. 

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At project outsiders we aim to highlight the vulnerabilities of the child welfare system So that you can know what’s happening to youth in your communities and through this We aim to develop partnership with organizations to share resources you can use to stop these ongoing injustices and create a stronger system for youth in care together.

This week’s episode is a conversation with Kismet Meyon, Dr. Maggie Inchley, and Dr. Sylvan Baker from The Verbatim Formula. The Verbatim Formula is “a participatory research project for care-experienced young people. It uses verbatim theatre techniques, listening and dialogue to work with young people, care leavers, social workers, and universities” which “aim[s] to work with young people to make care and education better” (http://www.theverbatimformula.org.uk/).

During our conversation Kismet, Maggie, and Sylvan discuss the process that The verbatim Formula uses, the impacts on them and others as creators, how it is received by those who see their performances (including service providers), and the results of their research.

Visit their website to hear clips and learn more about the innovative and necessary work they create.

This is part 2 of the conversation begun in October, 2019. Melanie Doucet and Harrison Pratt discuss the Photovoice research project titled Relationships Matter for Youth “Aging Out” of Care (https://www.yumpu.com/document/view/59918518/relationships-matter-e-book). Melanie and Harrison are both researchers with direct experience living in the child welfare system. In this episode, they discuss the place of arts in research, the Photovoice process, and analyzing images for themes.

To learn more about the project please visit:

Relationships Matter Project video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lmPDZ360ow&t=40s

·         Relationships Matter Photo E-Book: https://www.yumpu.com/document/view/59918518/relationships-matter-e-book

·         Relationships Matter Executive Summary + Research report (child welfare policy & practice oriented), published via the BC Representative for Children and Youth: https://rcybc.ca/reports-and-publications/reports/relationships-matter-youth-aging-out-care

 ·         Megaphone Magazine cover story and article, January 2019, What do YOUth think? Research project that aims to improve B.C.'s foster care system goes straight to the source.

·         Tyee article, December 13, 2018, Want to fix foster care? Ask kids who have been through the system

·         Tyee article, December 15, 2017, Creating Connections Through Photography

On this episode of Your Right to Speak I talked with Catherine Ellis-Dobson who is the Assistant Director at Arrabon House. Catherine talks about some of the gaps in the group home/ residential care system and what needs to be changed. The conversation then turns to how to Child and Youth workers know the residential program is benefiting the youth and how success looks like. Near the end of the episode, Catherin offers advice for new students entering the residential setting. Let's raise awareness together! 

Today’s episode is by Donna Reid, who speaks about considering alternative delivery models to the teaching of material related to trauma. Her presentation integrates research and conversations with faculty, and students, and applies the eight principles of trauma towards transforming the CYC classroom and the student experience.

Donna Reid is a Professor in the CYC program at George Brown College in Toronto. Her practice incorporates clinical assessment and treatment, group work and community-based support for youth experiencing emotional and behavioral difficulties connected to emotional dysregulation, adoption and developmental trauma. This presentation is based on research she has been doing for the past year looking at trauma and CYC education.

This week is the eighth in our uploads from Education Day, prior to the 20th Canadian National CYC conference held in Vancouver, British Columbia this past May. Today’s episode is by Graham McPheat. presenting on Threshold Concepts in CYC Education. Threshold concepts are central concepts in a given discipline which are transformative but also troublesome. They are important because they shape thinking and practice, but they are often difficult to grasp. His presentation concerns a research project led by Laura Steckley which explored the relevance of threshold concept theory to child and youth care and began the process of identifying potential threshold concepts in the field.

Graham McPheat worked in residential child care practice in Scotland for 10 years before moving into post-secondary education. He is currently the head of Learning and Teaching in the School of Social Work & Social Policy at the university of Strathclyde in Scotland. He teaches in the Masters of Science in Child and Youth Care Studies. 

This week is the seventh in our uploads from the 20th Canadian National CYC conference held in Vancouver, British Columbia this past May, and is by Shadan Hyder and Colleen Snell. While the presentation is by two people, the voice you’ll hear most, is Shadan’s. Colleen is primarily dancing with Shadan.

 This presentation was originally part of larger project, which began by questioning whether empathy and caring can be taught; asking if it is possible to value and trust instinctual wisdom, care ethics, love, relational knowing, or inter-subjective practices within academic institutions. Exploring the incongruence between preparing students for CYC practice within traditional academia the duet demonstrates personal narrative as a position of wisdom.

Shadan Hyder is an advocate, a practitioner, and currently finishing her MA in CYC at Ryerson University in Toronto. Colleen Snell is a dancer, choreographer, and the Artistic Director of Frog in Hand Productions, a dance company based in Mississauga Ontario. To learn more about Frog in Hand please visit www.froginhand.com

This week is the fourth in our uploads from the 20th Canadian National Child and Youth Care conference held in Vancouver, British Columbia this past May. This session discusses CYC education practicums and is presented by Pamela Nicholls and Dr. Rob Lees. Pamela Nicholls is speaking as a 4^th year practicum Student at the University of the Fraser Valley. Dr. Lees, is a faculty at the University of the Fraser Valley.

This week is the second in our uploads from the Canadian National Child and Youth Care conference in Vancouver, British Columbia this past May. Today’s presentation is by Joe Blake who speaks about his experiences as Child and Youth Care student through to being a CYC instructor.

Joe Blake is a graduate of the Master’s and Bachelor of Arts in Child and Youth Care Program from Ryerson University (Honors) as well as the Child and Youth Worker Program at George Brown College. Joe’s interests in the field particular lie in the areas of the youth criminal justice system, restorative practices, social justice and youth advocacy.

In May, 2018 the Canadian National Child and Youth Care conference was held in Vancouver, British Columbia. Prior to the actual conference was an education day pre-conference. Over the course of the summer we will be posting many of these presentations. This first talk is by Dr. Jaspreet Bal. In her presentation she discusses race in CYC education and considers how and when faculty of color use their bodies to teach.

Dr. Jaspreet Bal is a Professor in the Child and Youth Care program at Humber College in Toronto as well as a Child and Youth Care Practitioner (CYCP). As community organizer, activist and educator, her practice involves radical youth work with underserved populations across North America. Bal serves on the Board of Directors of the Sikh Feminist Research Institute and Kaurs United International, and the advisory board of the Sikh Research Institute.

Today we look at the increasing number of post-secondary programs being delivered online and ask what the impacts on CYC education might be, can there be relational teaching online, what factors are driving these shifts, and what might be the benefits of such moves. To answer these questions, we’ve invited Graham McPheat,

Graham McPheat is the head of Learning and Teaching in the School of Social Work & Social Policy at the university of Strathclyde in Scotland. He teaches in the Masters of Science in Child and Youth Care Studies (https://www.strath.ac.uk/courses/postgraduatetaught/childandyouthcarestudies/), a program taught through Distance Learning, aimed at child and youth care practitioners from around the world.

Over the months of April and May, a new podcast called Transitioning Home was released. It’s an audio drama created by a group of young queer, trans, racialized, and straight folks who have lived in the Toronto shelter system. Or didn’t, because staying away seemed safer. This episode is an interview with Jordan Hightower one of the creators of the project. In the conversation he talks about the project, making art out of difficult personal experiences, and we need to listen – even when it’s hard.

You can listen to Transitioning Home at:

www.Transhome.org

http://transitioninghomepodcast.podbean.com/

www.facebook.com/transitioninghomepodcast/