A British Columbia-based study conducted a comprehensive literature review, an environmental scan, and interviews with 20 former youth in care focusing on what helps and hinders youth in care to graduate from high school. The findings offered strong evidence that school is valued as a normative experience for normalcy and predictability. The MORE
First Call submitted our BC Budget 2019 consultation to the Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services last week, which highlighted four recommendations: Enhancing and expanding BC’s child benefit to reduce family poverty Advice on the continued investments in a quality child care system Improvements to the supports for MORE
Vancouver Sun: Susan Russell: Youth leaving foster care need more support Markets Insider: TELUS is giving an unprecedented $120 million to help vulnerable youth reach their full potential CBC News: B.C. mother fighting to retrieve children taken to Lebanon CTV News: B.C. woman says adopted son’s citizenship not being processed, MORE
On October 15th, we submitted our recommendations to the 2019 BC Budget consultation. Our submission makes recommendations that would improve the lives of children, youth and families in BC that have been informed by our research and our member organizations on various themes. We highlight recommendations, which are followed by a list of MORE
Plates of Possibility is an initiative of Aunt Leah’s Place, where they host a micro-grant dinner focused on youth in and from care. Chosen youth will be offered dinner as well as the chance to pitch their ideas to a crowd of community members with the chance to receive funding to MORE
The purpose of the Youth Homeless Count was to employ a youth-specific methodology to determine the number of youth experiencing homelessness in Metro Vancouver and to create a demographic profile of those youth. The results found there are 681 youth experiencing homelessness, with 42% of youth identifying as Aboriginal or Indigenous. 11% MORE
Kelowna Daily Courier: B.C. budget committee hears plea for provincial funds for youth recovery house Columbia Valley Pioneer: B.C. advocacy groups aim for new federal autism funding Globe and Mail: B.C. cancer patient’s case exposes gaps in care for homeless people, advocates say The Tyee: Health Minister Reflects on BC’s ‘Big Challenge’: Fighting Poverty MORE
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