Are you over the age of 18 and have lived in systems of care for at least one year? Discover your passion for Ontario’s skilled trades with a free 2-day training.
Time, Date and Venue:
August 13 & 14, 2024
8am – 4pm
Millwrights Local 1916
63 Ditton Drive, Hamilton, ON
Coffee, light snacks, and lunch provided. Hard hat and work boots included.
Register now at: childwelfarepac.com/register
On May 14, 2021, Seneca launched a tuition bursary that will pay tuition for current or former youth in extended society care who are pursuing their first postsecondary credential. In addition to financial support, interested youth can be matched with a Seneca staff member who will support them throughout their program and assist them in accessing resources such as mentoring, tutoring and academic advising.
Eligibility
There is no age cap for this bursary. The applicant must be a current or former youth in extended society care (Crown ward) or Customary Care (including Voluntary Youth Service Agreements), not adopted, who has been in the care of an Ontario Children’s Aid Society for a minimum of 12 months (consecutive or cumulative) as defined by the Child, Youth and Family Services Act (CYFSA) of Ontario. The applicant must also demonstrate financial need and must be applying for their first postsecondary credential.
Bursary Value
This bursary is valued at the total amount of tuition fees for any Seneca diploma, degree or certificate program. The bursary will be renewed each academic year until graduation, provided the recipient has fulfilled all program requirements (i.e. maintained a full-time course load, met the minimum grade requirements, etc.) and continues to demonstrate financial need.
What is a youth in extended society care?
A youth in extended society care (also referred to as a foster child or a Crown ward) is a youth who is placed in the care and custody of the Children’s Aid Society when it has been determined that they can no longer live with their birth parents, and that a better and less restrictive option (such as placing the child with relatives) is not available. The province accepts all rights and responsibilities for the youth until they turn 18, get married or are adopted.
The criteria to apply are as follows:
Current Seneca students application can email YouthinCare@senecapolytechnic.ca to indicate your intent to apply for the bursary, and Judy Pattison, Student Recruitment Liaison Officer, will help you through the process.
Prospective students who are interested in the bursary must first apply to Seneca through OCAS and be accepted to a program before applying for the bursary (students may contact Recruitment by email at YouthinCare@senecapolytechnic.ca to discuss program options).
For more information, please check out: Youth in Care Tuition Bursary | Awards, Scholarships and Bursaries | Seneca Students (senecapolytechnic.ca).
Ontario Education Championship Team (OECT) is going to the National Bank Open, Roger’s Cup Tennis Tournament!
🎾 Join us for a day of fun, enjoy the tennis game and learn about the sports industry🎾
*Must be ages 14- 29, residing in Peel/Halton/Dufferin region.
*Food and refreshments are provided 🥤
* Games and prizes to be won!! 🎁
*Presto or volunteer drives are available (drives are a last resort, please discuss transportation options with your family/caregiver/worker/CAS staff prior to reaching out for volunteer drives as capacity is limited! TY)
*Volunteer opportunities available for volunteer hours
🗓 Date: Thu, August 8th, 2024
⏰ Time: 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
📍 Location: A bus will be leaving from the Peel CAS Trailblazers Youth Centre (25 Capston Dr, Mississauga, ON L5W 0H3) and taking us to Sobeys Stadium in North York: 1 Shoreham Dr, North York, ON M3N 3A6, and back.
REGISTRATION LINK: https://bit.ly/TENNIS-EDU
This event is hosted by OECT Peel-Halton-Dufferin CAS. Register by Friday, July 19th, 2024.
For any questions or inquiries contact:
Halton CAS: Aos@haltoncas.ca
Peel CAS: MConstantine@peelcas.org
Dufferin CAS: niketa.peters@dcafs.on.ca
OECT Youth Website: https://www.inittogetheryouth.org/
You have been invited to participate in a research study being run by the International and Canadian Child Rights Partnership (ICCRP) if you have lived experience in the child welfare system.
The study aims to explore intergenerational relationships, lived experiences of former children and youth who aged out of the Ontario child welfare system, and child welfare policy and practices.
The research question is: “How Do Intergenerational Relationships among People with Lived Experiences in the Ontario Child Welfare System Influence Child Welfare Policies and Practices?”
ICCRP is seeking 50 participants; to participate, you need to be:
Participants are still eligible to participate in the research study if they are 18 years or older; and/or if they are still receiving financial support from child protection agencies.
If you do not meet these requirements, but you know someone who may meet these criteria and interested in taking part in this study, please forward this invitation to any potentially interested individual(s).
If you meet these requirements, we invite you to participate in a semi-structured virtual interview that will be no more than 60 minutes long. Your participation will involve:
If you are interested in volunteering in this study, we will send you another email at least two weeks before the interview date with information about the ICCRP in it, and a consent form that includes brief information about the research study. You will have time to let us know if you have any questions. If you agree to participate by signing and returning the consent form, we will forward the interview questions along with a list of mental health and emotional support resources.
Your participation is completely voluntary. No financial compensation will be provided, but will provide an opportunity to engage in other ICCRP activities if you consent us to contact you in future. Please know that there is no requirement to participate in this study. You may know our lead co-investigator or other research team members due to their extensive experiences in the child welfare system in Ontario.
If you choose not to participate, it will not impact your relationship with either of the primary investigators, Jane Kovarikova or Tara Collins, or other research assistants, your relationship with Child Welfare Political Action Committee, or Toronto Metropolitan University. This means that your participation would have no impact on the decisions or services provided by these organizations/networks in Ontario.
If you participate, your identity will not be shared with others outside of the research team. You have the right to withdraw voluntarily from participation or parts of participation at any time without providing any reasons.
The research is funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Council of Canada (SSHRC) and has been reviewed and approved by the Toronto Metropolitan University Research Ethics Board Reference ID 2023-057.
If you are interested in more information about the study or would like to volunteer, please email Jessielynncross@torontomu.ca or you can choose to contact Tara Collins by email tara.collins@torontomu.ca or call 416-979-5000, ext. 554563.
The Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada (CAFC) is giving the opportunity to all youth entrepreneurs with lived experience in the child welfare system to promote their businesses.
CAFC will be launching a directory of youth-led businesses at Stand Up For Kids Night – our annual recognition night – on June 20 that will be shared with supporters, donors, allies and other youth.
To submit your business for inclusion in the directory, please complete this form: https://lnkd.in/giDZ4-Wu. Click the link to submit your business or feel free to email cloc@cafdn.org if you have questions.
#LetsCelebrate! Ontario Children’s Advancement Coalition’s SIXTH ANNUAL SIGNATURE Children and Youth in Care Day event is MAY 14, 2024! This annual Provincial Day of Learning is an event that provides us with an opportunity to listen to Experts (both First Voice and Critically Allied).
This year will continue the annual theme, “FIVE14FUTURES: Across Our Lifetime” with a focus on Equitable Standards in Ontario, and across Canada. This annual event is sponsored by the Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada!
As always, this year we have an amazing line up of speaker from the Youth in/from “Care” communities, and allied experts. Two musicians/artists will open and close this anchor event on Ontario’s Youth In Care Day – let’s support Indigenous and lived expert artists!
FAYTH, who is an Indigenous artist from Wiikwemikoong First Nation, is a 2023 recipient of the Neebin’s Music Fund (Neebin’s family, FN Caring Society, and inPath created fund to honour Neebin Armstrong’s memory). Fayth is being sponsored by the First Nations Caring Society of Canada!
ROSE JONES, who is a musician with lived expertise of the child “welfare” system in Ontario, who is currently working on their first full album!! Rose Jones is being sponsored by the Ontario Association of Children’s Aid Societies!
The event will be from 11:45AM-1:45PM, and you can listen in while you have lunch or getting work done. This is a FREE VIRTUAL event streamed LIVE from Facebook. Like and Follow to get notification of the event! Click here: https://lnkd.in/gF7n2XV.
RSVP Link! RSVPs will be private to protect the accounts of people! https://fb.me/e/5WSTKFDR7
This year there will also be an exciting announcement in collaboration with Cindy Blackstock!
Let’s honor, commemorate, and celebrate youth in/from care, across our lifetime! Check out the lineup! Please share!
Thank You,
Cheyanne Ratnam, BSW;MSW
Researchers at the University of Calgary are conducting a study on the career experiences of young adults who aged-out of foster care, kinship care, or community-based care in Canada. The study is called ‘What Helps and Hinders in the Pursuit of Career Success?’.
To be eligible to participate in this study, you need to:
• Be between the ages of 18 to 29
• Have previously spent at least two years in foster care, kinship care, or community-based care in Canada
• Have aged-out of care in Canada
• Self-identify as doing well in your career development
If you are interested in participating then you will be asked to:
• Complete a short demographic questionnaire
• Participate in up to three interviews where you will be asked to share your career development experiences; Interviews will be conducted 1-on-1 virtually or in-person.
To express gratitude for contributing to this research you will be provided with a $15 e-gift card for participating in interview one, another $15 e-gift card for participating in interview two, and also a $10 e-gift card for participating in interview three.
If you have any questions or if you would like to participate in this study, please contact Ashlee Kitchenham at ashlee.kitchenham@ucalgary.ca
The University of Calgary Conjoint Faculties Research Ethics Board has approved this study [REB23-1099].
The Ontario Association of Children’s Aid Societies (OACAS) is recruiting youth 13-18 years of age for their YouthCAN Provincial Youth Advisory Committee (YPYAC). The recruitment launched at their February 15th YouthCAN Town Hall and will remain open until March 15th. The application link is enclosed & can also be found here.
The YPYAC is a voluntary committee made up of 12 youth from across Ontario, with 2 youth representing each of the 6 zones (Central, Eastern, Southwest, Grand River, Northern, and Northeast).
The purpose of the YPYAC is to use their youth voices to make recommendations to the Ontario child welfare sector about:
The YPYAC will be supported by the Youth Services Analyst and the work of the YouthCAN Champion Network Group and Executive.
Eligible youth should:
All submissions will be reviewed by a committee including OACAS and member agency staff and former YPYAC members.
Applicants who meet the eligibility criteria will be considered based on the strength of their responses and their ability to commit to the expectations of the role. OACAS seeks members who represent the wide diversity of youth in care and across the zones.
Important YPYAC Dates
| February 15th | YPYAC recruitment launched, and online submissions opened for youth to apply. |
| February 15th – March 15th | Online submissions remain open for youth applications. |
| March 15th | Online submissions close. |
| March 15th – 31st | Applications are reviewed and final decisions made about selections. |
| March 31st | All selected youth to be notified by email and/or phone and information package sent. |
| April 6th, 13th, 20th | Youth4Change Orientation Days 1-3 will be held with onboarded youth virtually. |
| May 9th* | In-person team building day in advance of Child and Youth In Care Day (CYICD) |
Honorariums are provided for those selected as YPYAC members and who regularly attend and engage in scheduled meetings.
Questions related to the application can be directed to, David Lewis-Peart, Youth Services Analyst, at dlewispeart@oacas.org or by phone 437-230-2051.
