Fostering Change is hosting the first of eleven Youth Forums across the province to hear the voices of youth on the topic of youth homelessness and gather their recommendations to inform a Representative of Children and Youth public report. Vancouver’s event takes place on Monday August 20 from 2:30-5pm at the Broadway MORE
The Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute (CCAI) is a nonprofit, bipartisan organization that works to raise awareness and remove policy barriers for children without families. 10 current and former foster youth in the Foster Youth Internship Program recently released their recommendations in a policy report titled Tools for Transformation: Building a Compassionate MORE
Times Colonist: Victoria council backs campaign for ‘living wage’ StarMetro Vancouver: Ontario’s cancellation of basic income pilot is seen as a setback by B.C. proponents Vancouver Sun: Abbotsford anti-gang program to lose funding as kids head back to school Vancouver Sun: Judy Darcy: Overdose emergency: Unprecedented crisis demands unprecedented action StarMetro Vancouver: Peer-led overdose response MORE
StarMetro Vancouver: B.C. begins paying back millions taken from welfare recipients on methadone StarMetro Vancouver: Canada detains migrant kids, too, and it needs to stop, experts say The Globe and Mail: Trump’s zero-tolerance policy inflicts anguish on kids – with toxic health impacts Maclean’s: Trudeau won’t condemn Trump’s migrant policy. MORE
The Tyee: Lessons from Care: ‘We’ll Be Triumphant in Our Battle to Make This System Great’ The Province: Amy Lubik, Ben Parfitt and Grand Chief Stewart Phillip: Scientific review of hydraulic fracking doesn’t go far enough The Tyee: Changes Coming — Slowly — to Indigenous Child Welfare in BC CBC News: B.C. Métis to MORE
The BC Coroners Service convened a death review panel in December 2017 to review the circumstances of young people who died while transitioning to independence from government child services between January 1, 2011 and December 31, 2016. The report found high rates of suicide, mental health issues, drug overdose deaths and a MORE
The eighth episode of the As Word Spreads Podcast is released! This podcast was a collaboration between First Call and the Adoptive Families Association of BC. It’s called Boundaries ft. Speak-Out Youth. Listen to youth in and from government care discuss aging out of care, staying connected to families, and more. They explore MORE
Aunt Leah’s Independent Lifeskills Society invites you to join the Friendly Landlord Network. You can register your home and help to end youth homelessness. Over 40% of homeless youth in Metro Vancouver have had experience with the foster care system. There are five benefits of joining the network: Fill vacancies quickly MORE
CBC News: Expand supports to youth leaving care, says B.C. coroner’s review of 200 deaths CBC News: B.C. government to fund 1,500 homes for women fleeing violence Tyee: Lessons from Care: ‘The Only Flaw in This System Is that Some of Us Survived’ StarMetro Vancouver: Mortality rate for youth in care exponentially higher than MORE
The federal Advisory Committee on Homelessness was announced in June 2017 with a mandate to provide context for homelessness in Canada and outline recommendations. In their most recent report, the committee notes specific recommendations for sub-populations at risk of homelessness. Youth homelessness was an area of specific concern for the Committee due to MORE
CHEK News: UVic professor Michael Prince appointed new chair of Community Living British Columbia CBC News: B.C. government hints exemptions to new health payroll tax on the way — but not for cities CNC News: B.C. Ombudsperson’s report shows thousands of welfare recipients unfairly penalized CNC News: Students with special needs in B.C. still MORE
First Call is partnering with Organize BC to offer Winning Change from the Government training on May 26th and May 27th. Over the two days, participants will learn: How decisions in government are made Skills to meet and influence politicians Campaign action design that pressures decision makers How to grow MORE
Coast Reporter: Student summit focuses on abuse prevention The Tyee: How Poverty and Underfunding Land Indigenous Kids in Care BC Local News: Federal judge approves $875M ’60s Scoop settlement after hearings Comox Valley Record: Sunshine Coast in ‘severe’ rental crisis Times Colonist: Special needs students traumatized by restraints, advocates say MORE
Prince George Citizen: Multi-million-dollar settlement reached for youth in care The Globe and Mail: 20 questions with B.C.’s former child and youth advocate Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond BC Local News: Province extends job protection for new mothers New York Times: Reading Aloud to Young Children Has Benefits for Behavior and Attention CBC News: B.C. dad pleads MORE
87% of eligible, post-19 youth from government care are not accessing MCFD Agreements with Young Adults (AYA) services. AYAs are the primary way MCFD supports the 1000 youth who age out of care every year. It tells us that the program intervention the government has relied on for years is MORE