Walking the Path Towards Meaningful Youth Engagement: A presentation from the OACYC 2017 Conference

We are continuing our uploading of presentations from the Ontario Association of Child and Youth Care conference which took place in June 2017. Today’s episode is called Walking the Path Towards Meaningful Youth Engagement. The presentation is by two young people who lived in residential care and three Ryerson University Master’s in Child and Youth Care Students.

 

The following is the conference abstract:

 

Walking the Path Towards Meaningful Youth Engagement

Since the ratification of the UNCRC, the participation and voice of young people has become a focus in child and youth serving organizations. Progress has been made, however young people still find themselves silenced, dismissed, and removed from the conversations and decisions impacting their lives. Current initiatives for youth engagement are often limited through tokenistic and outdated approaches, that result in young people continuing to feel as though they are not heard and do not have control over their own lives. We as CYCs need to model and advocate for the advancement of meaningful and authentic youth engagement. In order to do this, we need to unpack the complexities and barriers so we can envision a way forward. This presentation will focus on the role of CYC practitioners to support and partner with young people to elevate their voices and participation in the care and services they receive. Through a reflective process, we will examine the barriers that inhibit us from fully implementing a youth engagement approach in our daily practice. CYCs have the responsibility to navigate through these barriers.

 

Camille Bautista is a current high school student and Ryerson bound hopeful with a particular passion concerning the complexities surrounding philosophical conundrums. She aspires to become a lawyer in the hopes of lending her voice and determination to advocate for the rights of either the environment’s protection or refugee crises.

 

Charles Jackson is a current student of Fleming College in the Academic Upgrading program, who will be attending Fleming in the fall for the Personal Support Worker Program. Charles hopes to work with the disabled and elderly community, in order to help them remember their humanity and special place in our society.

 

Joe Blake, BA CYC is currently enrolled in the MA CYC program and has been working in the field of CYC for seven years. Joe’s interests in the field particularly lie in the areas of the youth justice system, restorative practices, social justice, Indigenous practices and youth advocacy.

 

Amanda Mayhew, BA CYC, MA CYC candidate, is a dynamic CYC practitioner who has been in the field for 8 years. Her expertise is in residential care, where she has been a leader in relational and strength-based approaches. Amanda is well versed in the research on children’s rights and youth engagement. Her passion is advocating for young people to be included in all decisions that impact their lives.

 

Christopher Tone, BA CYC, MA CYC candidate, has practiced in the CYC field in varying capacities for approximately twelve years. The bulk of his experience lies in school based and residential care for young people who have been dually diagnosed and/or have ASD. Christopher is keenly interested in exploring issues surrounding street involved youth, and the application of children’s rights in Canada and in international contexts