[Bruce]

Wonderful work here, I joined from west Africa Namibia , I proud and Happy about this Plartform

[Kathe]

Hi everyone! Children First Canada is hosting a free two-day virtual summit for youth (from ages 12-18 across Canada), Youth Take Charge: Advocacy Incubator, on April 19th and 26th, from 11AM to 3PM ET. 💻📣✊

As adult allies of young people, we are on the frontlines and know the challenges young people in Canada face. One of the ways to support children and youth is to help them understand that they are not alone, and that collective action may help to reinforce a sense of belonging and hope. To work collectively, they also need the tools to amplify their voice. That is the ultimate goal of the Youth Take Charge: Advocacy Incubator.

The two-day event will feature incredible young keynote speakers, trainers, and facilitators, including Stephen Mensah of the Toronto Youth Cabinet. Sessions will be led by youth from partner organizations Jack.org, Leadnow.ca, and Amnesty International Canada, and will teach young people about strategy, the tools and tactics of making change, and how to communicate their message.

On Day 1, young people will work as teams to develop a campaign on an issue they care about (e.g., environment, poverty, racism). On Day 2, they will pitch their campaign to the other teams working on the same issue, and their peers will select the campaign to move forward.

Selected campaigns will then pitch to a panel of partner organizations that will select the campaign they will support after the event. All teams will be provided with a digital package of tools they can use if they want to continue to work on their campaigns after the event.

Young people can join as a team of 10, or, if they sign up individually, they will be grouped with others who are interested in the same issue.

Check it out and share with the young people in your networks!

[Kathe]

Plan International Canada is hosting a Solutions Lab, a free program that supports young people to be active drivers of change, similar to a ‘hackathon’ or a ‘design jam’. 📢

The event is open to all youth in Canada between the ages of 14 to 24. This year, it will be in a hybrid format (online and in-person) and will take place on Saturday, February 25th, from 1PM to 5PM ET.

During this year’s event, youth participants will work to build their knowledge of the impact of social media on body confidence and self-esteem issues that affect girls globally, and how Plan International Canada works to address the issue. After doing so, they will work in teams to design innovative responses to the issues. They will then present to a panel of experts with the goal of receiving seed funding to bring their amazing ideas to life.

This event presents a great opportunity for young people to learn how they can get involved in issues they’re passionate about here in Canada and around the world, while also hearing from subject matter experts on strategies and tools young people can use to become active leaders. ✊

Youth can learn more and register online!

[Kathe]

Canadian Friends Service Committee is looking for youth with experience growing up with incarcerated parents to join their Youth Advisory Group.

Youth participants will meet other young people with similar lived experiences, and work with others to improve conditions for children and youth with incarcerated parents in Canada.

Youth knowledge and participation will create informed conversations, help to raise awareness, and may influence policy and law, stopping the stigma and silence around children and families of incarcerated people by promoting:

• alternatives to prison
• family and community-based sentencing
• education and public awareness about children of incarcerated parents: keeping families together, children’s rights, impact, and trauma
• the need for a National Child Rights Commissioner

This opportunity is open to youth living in Canada, ages 14-18 and emerging adults (over 18). Honoraria will be provided. A trauma-informed approach (Safety, Trust, and Choice) will be used, and professional mental health support will be available for participants.

Contact Nancy at nancy@quakerservice.ca or at the CFSC office (416-920 5213).

Note that this group is only being offered to English-speaking participants.

[Katarina]

Jack.org is accepting applications for the first ever Central Jack Summit, which brings together the next generation of mental health leaders and advocates from across Ontario and Quebec to discuss the most pressing mental health issues youth face in their communities. This brand-new Summit focuses on the mental health landscape in Central Canada (Ontario and Quebec), all in an effort to expand the conversation on mental health and deliver more impactful programming.

The Summit will take place on February 2-3, 2023 in Ottawa. Young people aged 15-24 who live and/or are from Ontario and Quebec are eligible to apply as delegates. Accommodations, travel and most meals will be covered by Jack.org.

Application Deadline: December 4, 2022.

Click here to learn more and apply!

[Kathe]

If you work with youth living with different abilities, you may be interested in MyAbility.ca, a platform from Ability Online. This safe and secure online environment is designed for young people to socialize, make new friends, learn new skills, build confidence, and have fun. Members can connect with peers, share experiences, join discussions, explore content, and find mentors. (Users under the age of 18 can register with parental/caregiver consent, and users over the age of 18 can join the young adult community.) Visit MyAbility.ca for details.

You can also learn more about the work of Ability Online from our November 2020 webinar, Cultivating (Online) Community for Youth. 🙂

[REX]

Proud to Vote 2021: A National Debate on 2SLGBTQ+ Issues

Join Wisdom2Action on September 14th at 1 PM Eastern Time for Proud to Vote 2021 – a national discussion and debate on 2SLGBTQ+ issues with representatives of major Canadian political parties in the lead up to the 2021 federal election.

Confirmed party representatives include:

• Green Party of Canada: Sylvain Dodier
• Conservative Party of Canada: Hannah Hodson
• Bloc Québécois: Marie-Hélène Gaudreau
• New Democratic Party: Randall Garrison
• Liberal Party: Patty Hajdu

Please click here to register for this event!

[REX]

Are you a 2SLGBTQ+ young person living in Canada?

The SAFER (Safer Access for Everyone in the Rainbow) Project is including 2SLGBTQ+ young people in preventing and addressing gender-based violence across Canada. Wisdom2Action is recruiting 8 people aged 16-24 with diverse lived experiences to join the Youth Advisory Committee. This is a paid opportunity. Please click here to fill out the application.

Due: August 9th, 2021

[Kathe]

The Readiness Indicators Project is looking to engage youth, ages 18 to 33, with experience growing up in the child welfare system.

The Ministry of Children, Community & Social Services, Ontario Children’s Advancement Coalition, Youth in Care Canada, and Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada are leading youth engagement sessions on readiness indicators. The engagements will help the Ministry to establish a new framework to determine when young people are ready to leave the care of children’s aid societies and transition into the community. Readiness indicators are the ways we know we are ready to transition from care.

Twelve Brave Space Engagement sessions will be held in July as 90-minute moderated consultations with youth with lived experience. These youth will get an opportunity to share their advice on readiness indicators.

Youth who are interested in participating must complete an online application by June 23, 2021. You can access the application online, and you can also access a Communications Toolkit with more information to help you spread the word and engage the young people with whom you work.