C2Y: Discussions on Child and Youth Care

This episode is a discussion about sexual predators, sexual harassment, sexual abuse in the music industry and ways to respond. Mike Yorke, the editor of CYC Podcast and a working musician talks to Wolfgang about what he has seen in the music industry and his attempts to address it, on a personal level. This episode is a conversation with two men endeavoring to take responsibility for, and find ways to address, sexual violence and misogyny. Towards the end of the episode we consider ways to talk with young men entering into the music industry.

Amelia Merhar discusses a participatory arts-based inquiry project she co-researched with young adults who have lived in Canada’s child welfare system. In her fun, engaging, and pointed way she talks about methodology, findings, outcomes and what art can do that other forms of research might not be able to. Amelia is an artist, researcher, facilitator, youth worker, policy analyst, and pretty amazing person. To read her work, see her art, and listen to her music visit https://ameliamerhar.wordpress.com.

In this episode, Wolfgang speaks with Dr. Kiran Modi about alternative care in India. A country with more children than the total population (children, youth, adults) of “the English-speaking countries” combined (Aotearoa/New Zealand, Australia, Britain, Canada, and USA). About 31 million of these children are orphans, homeless, street-involved or otherwise lack parental care. In our conversation, Dr. Modi addresses reasons for the high numbers of children in need, effective and ineffective responses, successful programs, cultural specificity, funding, and research into alternative care in a South Asian context.

Dr. Modi, is the founder & managing trustee of Udayan Care, a New Delhi-based child rights organization, which provides homes, schooling, mentorship, employment, offered through 15 small group care homes in 8 states of India. To learn more about Udayan Care visit http://www.udayancare.org/ and to read the peer reviewed Institutionalised Children Explorations and Beyond: An International Journal on Alternative Care visit http://www.indianjournals.com/ijor.aspx?target=ijor:iceb&type=home. 

On this episode of Your Right to Speak, Sammy speaks with Smyrna, a team member of Yantics which is an onling outlet for youth networking. Smyrna gives some examples on how adults can sometimes discrimination against young people and explains the sometimes it is not attentional. The conversation then turns to the importance of adult youth partnership, the benefits of mentorship and how both young people and adults can learn from each other.

For more information on Yantics please see below

Yantics.com is a by youth, for youth website developed for youth to network, connect, promote themselves, find help and assistance, be entertained, shop and share their ideas all in one spot.

Website: www.Yantics.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/yanticsdotcom

Twitter: www.twitter.com/yanticsdotcom

Tumblr: yantics.tumblr.com

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiJ_rn9HdBOokSas_oMgFOg   

Facebook page: Yantics Youth

Let’s raise awareness together!

In this interview, Maria Lotty discusses six principles of trauma-informed care, and how to integrate these principles when working with children and youth, particularly in the context of foster parenting. Maria is a practicing Fostering Social Worker and PhD student at the University College Cork (UCC), in Ireland. Maria has a background in youth work, residential social work and child protection. She is currently undertaking a research collaboration between UCC and Tulsa- Family and Child Agency involving the design, development and evaluation of Fostering Connections, a Trauma-informed Foster Care Program.

In this conversation, Liam Curran talks about FASDs, what they are, there prevalence in the child welfare system, issues with diagnoses, and responding from a social perspective.

Liam is a social worker, Certified CDC Educator of FASDs, and a member of the Centre for Research on Children and Families (CRCF) at McGill university, Montreal. He is currently undertaking his PhD at Concordia University, Montreal, focusing on how social workers respond to FASDs in child welfare settings. Liam has researched and published numerous articles, chapters and co-authored a book on the topic of FASDs.

On this episode of Your Right to Speak, Salvatore talks with Elena Gordon who is the Youth Justice Case Lead at For Youth Initiative. Elena talks about the gaps within the youth justice sector and the need for change in the sector. Elena stresses in the conversation there needs to be more education offered to young people regarding youth justice. The discussion then turns to the pros and cons of utilizing restorative justice.  For more information For Youth Initiative, please visit http://www.foryouth.ca/

On this episode of Your Right to Speak Salvatore talks with Nancy Marshall and Falon Wilton. The conversation continues from last month’s episode on the topic of disability. This month we have a focus on autistic young people. Nancy and Falon explain using the term autistic versus autism and the impacts that can come from using the term autism. Nancy and Falon stress that a social justice lens should be used when working in the disability community, with verbal and non-verbal children and youth.  

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 at yourrighttospeak@gmail.com

In this conversation with Dr. Julie Repper, we talk about people with “lived experience” working in the mental health system, Recovery Colleges, peer support workers, and what impact sharing one’s own experiences can have.

Dr. Repper is the director of Implementing Recovery through Organisational Change (ImROC), an organization based in Nottinghamshire, UK. She is a nurse, a manager, a researcher and lecturer focusing in particular on mental health services, and Recovery approaches.

On this episode, we are talking about disability and practice with Shay Erlich. who has just completed her Masters in Child and Youth Care at Ryerson University. Shay talks about some of the gaps and challenges faced by young people with disabilities and the unique culture within the deaf community.  Shay discusses the need for CYCs to take into consideration accessibility needs of individuals and the importance of including young people’s voices in the conversation around their accommodations.  Shay also talks about how a CYC practitioner, who themselves has a disability, can impact the relationship between the young person and the practitioner.

Let’s raise awareness together!

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   

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

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.

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