C2Y: Discussions on Child and Youth Care

Hiring Care is an audio drama inquiry created from one-on-one conversations with 10 child and youth care practitioners (CYCPs) “from care” (CYCPfC). Most of the script is verbatim, meaning the words spoken by the actors are (mostly) re-enactments of what CYCPfC said in the conversations. The conversations have been re-arranged and different CYCPfC have been put into relationships with each other, even though they never actually spoke with each other during the recorded conversations. Three of the characters (B, Ellisha, and Terri) are composites of two different people.

Hiring Care is constructed as a conversation between a group of seven CYCPs “from care” (CYCPfC) who are meeting to talk about creating a way to support agencies who want to hire practitioners with child welfare experience. This frame for the structure came out of an idea mentioned by one of the conversationalists (Charlotte), who said she and some of her colleagues “wanted to create a booklet about how to support someone with lived experience in care in your organization, who works for you”. Hiring Carehas seven different episodes, each one introduced by a different character and addressing different themes, although there are some overlaps between the different episodes.

While the script follows a chronological order, it is not necessary to listen to them in a particular order. You might find it more relevant to pick specific themes (identified with each episode) and listen to that particular conversation.

To learn more about the project, please visit www.TuningIntoCYC.org

Charlie challenges the group to think beyond their understandings regarding the benefits of being from care, and pushes the white CYCPfC to think of the cultural costs for Indigenous and other racialized young people incurred by going into child protection services.

Hiring Care is an audio drama inquiry created from one-on-one conversations with 10 child and youth care practitioners (CYCPs) “from care” (CYCPfC). Most of the script is verbatim, meaning the words spoken by the actors are (mostly) re-enactments of what CYCPfC said in the conversations. The conversations have been re-arranged and different CYCPfC have been put into relationships with each other, even though they never actually spoke with each other during the recorded conversations. Three of the characters (B, Ellisha, and Terri) are composites of two different people.

Hiring Care is constructed as a conversation between a group of seven CYCPs “from care” (CYCPfC) who are meeting to talk about creating a way to support agencies who want to hire practitioners with child welfare experience. This frame for the structure came out of an idea mentioned by one of the conversationalists (Charlotte), who said she and some of her colleagues “wanted to create a booklet about how to support someone with lived experience in care in your organization, who works for you”. Hiring Carehas seven different episodes, each one introduced by a different character and addressing different themes, although there are some overlaps between the different episodes.

While the script follows a chronological order, it is not necessary to listen to them in a particular order. You might find it more relevant to pick specific themes (identified with each episode) and listen to that particular conversation.

To learn more about the project, please visit www.TuningIntoCYC.org

Leela and Terri have an uncomfortable conversation after Terri reaches out to Leela asking for help to “diversify” the group of CYCP from care.

This month we are showcasing episode 7 from ReFiled, a research-based fiction podcast created with Child and Youth Care practitioners who have residential placement experience. You can listen to the complete series at www.Refiled.ca, or on iTunes , Spotify, and Google Podcasts. 

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.

On Episode 11 of the #RisingYouth Podcast Jade Roberts Talks with Alexandra Jarret about their project The Art and Hip-Hop Show! This is a roaming local show that Alexandra and facilities to help connect students to art and art resources through means of donations and grants provided by the community. They’ve been doing this for several years and we hop to see many more projects!

This episode is a conversation with theatre artist, mask maker, and arts-facilitator Carmen Lee about their project Settle Elsewhere. Carmen is one half of the artistic team running Theatre du Poulet, a theatre company and non-profit organization based in Halifax, with a specialization in puppetry, mask performance and physical theatre. In the conversation, Carmen and Wolfgang speak about immigrating to Canada, creating provocative art, the role of artists in social justice, and ways to navigate the challenges of funding theatre projects. To learn more about Theatre du Poulet visit https://www.theatredupoulet.com/

French Transcript Here

On this episode of Your Right to Speak Salvatore talks with RudeGang Entertainment. Rudegang Entertainment is an Indigenous Hip Hop & Multimedia group based in the Greater Vancouver Area, B.C. In the conversation RudeGang members discuss music, advocacy, inspiring young people, and resisting colonialism.

Be Sure to check out Their new single Tides on Soundcloud

Follow Rudegang Entertainment on Instagram @RudegangEnt and be sure to check out #RisingYouth and the grants we provide at www.risingyouth.ca

Let’s Raise Awareness together! 

On this week’s episode of the #RisingYouth Podcast, Jade Roberts Host of Still Here Still healing sits down with Mackenzie talking about her contribution to the Red Dress Project. Mackenzie our Alumni was inspired by the work Jamie Black, the Red Dress project is a response to the more than 1000 indigenous women who are missing or have been murdered in Canada. Symbolizing the indigenous women who are stolen from their families, an arrangement of red dresses are displayed in a public place. Mackenzie brought the project to her hometown of Fort McMurray to help raise awareness and educate other youth.

For more information regarding to help turn a passion into action visit: https://www.risingyouth.ca/

This episode, a collaboration between CYC Podcast and #Rising Youth, a program of Taking It Global, is a conversation with Justine Yu. Justine talks about the magazine and community building project called Living Hyphen. Living Hyphen began as a journal that explores the experiences of hyphenated Canadians – that is, individuals who call Canada home but who have roots in faraway places.

To learn more about the Living Hyphen please see https://livinghyphen.ca/ or visit their blog at https://medium.com/living-hyphen. And to find out how to signup for your own grant go to https://www.risingyouth.ca/ 

For our french listeners please check out this link!

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