Fostering Change

Out of the following statistics related to youth transitioning from Ministry care, which 1-3 impact you the most? Comment below with the corresponding number: 1) Youth in care graduate at a rate of 50% lower than other youth 2) More than 74% of youth in care will be a receipt of Income Assistance after leaving care at 19. 3) 1/3 of children in the systems parents have ben in care.... 4) Youth from care are 5 x more likely to die early than the general population. 5) 49% of homeless youth report they've been involved with MCFD 6) Do you know a youth who was/is fully independent at age 19? 7) The suicide rate for a youth in care is twice the rate than that of their peers. 8 ) 53% of Indigenous of homeless respondents of all ages indicated they had been in Ministry care as a youth or child, compared to 21% of non-Indigenous respondents. If you would like to know more also comment indicating so.

This is a super unique opportunity. Our team is looking forward to engaging in this! Do you know a youth who would like to get involved in advocacy/change making? This is great way to start. Held at 6pm PDT, RSVP information in the poster.

Rainy days are perfect for reading. We happily announce the online, free, publication of We Are Everywhere available through Fostering Change's website now! https://www.fosteringchange.ca/wae_the_book... WE ARE EVERYWHERE is dedicated to the 1000 youth who age out of government care annually. The content of this book was created in part through community-engaged gatherings of art making, conversation, and inquiry based on the question: What do I know now that I would tell my 19-year old self? The extraordinary ordinary individuals you will meet in the book all have the shared experience of being in government care. The spirit of this collection of interviews is an invitation to us all; particularly to our 19-year-old selves, whether we experienced government care or not, to learn from the collective insights and wisdom of these generous and amazing people. The online availability of We Are Everywhere was made possible by the generous support & mentorship of: Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada: www.cafdn.org McKellar & Martin Publishing: www.mckellarmartin.com Bright Wing Media: www.brightwing.ca Launch Pad Publishing: www.launchpadpub.com

Advocates across the nation continue to raise awareness of the "unethical and inhumane cut youth leaving care off from supports when they reach the age of majority if they aren’t ready to make that shift." - Dr. Melanie Doucet Instead of just saying we’re not going to discharge children until the public health measures are lifted, which would provide some certainty to young people, they pick these arbitrary dates, which just raises anxiety. (Youth) don’t know if they’re jus...t going to be out on their own in a matter of weeks. Dr. Cindy Blackstock Our communities deserve permanent change to increase outcomes. Child Welfare League of Canada (CWLC) Ontario Children's Advancement Coalition B.C.'s Representative for Children and Youth https://tinyurl.com/dn8as78r

MCFD started training its staff yesterday on these measures that state "youth turning 19 are to receive interim supports until March 2022 to ensure no youth loses shelter during the pandemic." If you are a social worker, AYA navigator or community support we want to know what you've heard about the supports.

https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2021CFD0007-000233 The community pushed for extended interim supports and the Ministry of Child and Family Dev answered. We happily lift up this article that details the announcement for expanded pandemic supports for youth in/from care - now with a March 2022 deadline.

https://firstcallbc.org//2021-virtual-gala-and-award-pres/ Please join us as we attend First Call: BC Child and Youth Advocacy Coalition's annual gala. This year, in-person events are not possible so we invite you to join us at this virtual event to honor the 2021 recipients of our Annual Champion of Child and Youth Rights Award - Carole James and Katherine McParland.

First Call: BC Child and Youth Advocacy Coalition received a letter from Mitzi Dean Minister of MCFD and Katrina Chen Minister of State for Child Care in response to the Child Poverty Report Card published December 9th 2020. Here is their response to the ask of an automatic enrollment into support for youth transitions. Check out the full letter here: https://www.fosteringchange.ca/universal_support_a_response