May 2021 Newsletter - Check out what The Adoption Council of Canada is up to! |
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The Adoption Council of Canada is Canada’s voice for adoption, unifying communities’ commitment to permanency for waiting children and youth. We support and encourage people along their adoption journey, connecting them to the families and resources they need. |
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The Adoption Council of Canada is pleased to share with you the first series of a podcast featuring youth voice with the theme of the Road to Permanency. The purpose of this series is to gain understanding through the eyes of youth and make systemic changes they would like to make. To listen to Episodes 1 to 6 visit: www.adoption.ca |
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Follow us on social media to know when new episodes will be live! | |
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CWCY YOUTH PROFILE: "ANDRE" A 25 year old youth who is looking for permanency through adoption with a family! He is an outgoing, personable youth who enjoys listening to music and attending church. Preference is a Christian family (ACC is non denominational & follows the requests of the youth we support). | | |
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Urgency Around Permanency Youth can benefit from the permanency that a family provides. Canada's Waiting Children and Youth (CWCY) website is a tool for child welfare agencies, social workers, child and youth workers prospective adoptive parents, legal guardians and those wanting to make a lifelong connection with a youth to support a form of permanency for older youth and young adults in and from the child welfare system in Canada.
Every year 6,000 youth transition out of the child welfare system in Canada without any form of permanency. Many youth and young adults could benefit from a lifelong connection and support for them as they embark into adulthood. We all need someone to care and we all benefit from connection! |
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Let’s Talk About Permanency A message from Princess "What is permanency? Well, an online definition might be a person or a thing that remains unchanged indefinitely. 4-year-old me would disagree. As I watched my baby sister’s eyes roll to the back of her head, I wish I could say I quickly realized people are NOT permanent… but it took 3 days before someone finally moved her body from our townhouse. Leaving 4-year-old me VERY confused. And so began my journey into the child welfare system. Some may say that is a bit too graphic or an unnecessary detail… but I’m here to share my story. The image of my sister has stayed with me for my whole life and I associate it with going into care. I could write a fluff piece and tell you all, “my life was a little hard at the beginning”. But that would be an understatement, and I’d like to stay as authentic as I can. Otherwise, what is the point of having a platform? |
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Picture this, you’re 6 years old and you are being told by your foster parents that someone will be coming to get you in 20 minutes to take you to your new home. What is the first thing you’d grab? Some clothes, your favourite blanky and some toys, maybe? I would take 5 minutes to figure out what I should pack and then it would hit me, I came into care with nothing but the clothes on my back. When you’re being moved from one foster home to another, you don’t tend to have many belongings. So I would pack my little bag of clothes and anxiously wait for someone to get me. Foster home after foster home, I noticed that the time I was given to get ready got shorter and shorter. Sometimes I wouldn’t even have time to prepare because I would be moved while I was sleeping. Imagine going to sleep in one bed and waking up to a completely different family. This happened a few too many times. |
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I have lost count of how many foster homes I had been in by the age of 7. If you asked 7 year-old me what permanency is, I would tell you it’s a fairytale land that can only exists in your dreams. I have searched for the answer to the question “What is permanency?” All my life. I’m now 25 and I have finally figured it out. Permanency is whatever you want it to be. For me, it’s the feeling of finally feeling safe. I was adopted at age 14 but I’ve been with my family since I was 9. Knowing the ground won’t be pulled out from under me, yet again. The unconditional love and support is the cherry on top. We all have our own journey. What does permanency mean to you?" |
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Can YOU be my PERSON? Are you able to commit to a lifelong relationship with a Youth or Young Adult? Download our flyer to learn about supporting connections & permanency for Youth & Young Adults. | | |
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Connect-A-Kid Mentorship Program The term “racial mirror” refers to mentors whose race “mirrors” that of the child or youth they are mentoring. Connect-A-Kid is a mentorship program run by adoptees for adoptees. Lead mentors give support and leadership to teen mentors in training and children from 6 to 12 years of age benefit from being mentored by "someone who looks like me". Connect-A-Kid is a time to come together, sharing in activities and fun and the support you get from mentors who look like you and share common experiences with you. During COVID-19 our Connect-A-Kid Program went live and we enjoyed painting, drawing, playing games and being together virtually. |
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Who knew you could create a digital story online? Youth across Canada have been participating in advocacy work to put moratoriums in place to prevent youth from transitioning out of the child welfare system during a pandemic. |
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2021 Winnipeg Training & Digital Story ACC is proud to have had YSO training provided for the youth by the CHEERS Mentorship Program on April 3, 2021. CHEERS stands for Creating Hope Ensuring Excellence & Roads to Success and is a program for black youth transitioning out of the child welfare system. Please check out the amazing group Digital Stories the youth have created from this weekend event: Stop The Circle of Trauma - Group DST |
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Youth from our YSO teams in Ottawa, ON and Edmonton, AB created these stories: |
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Many thanks to Princess Land & the CHEERS coordinators for their support during our YSO training! To learn more about Digital Storytelling visit: www.adoption.ca or about Youth Speak Out visit: www.adoption.ca |
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Ontario Trillium Foundation Recognition Event on March 26, 2021 An online event to celebrate the creative work of our youth in Digital Storytelling and Youth Speak Out! We had the pleasure of working with over 90+ youth to create their Digital Stories and to learn public speaking and how to advocate with their participation on youth panels in our Youth Speak Out Training Programs. Thanks to each youth for their incredible participation and advocacy work! |
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We would also like to thank our partner agencies: Ottawa Centre for Resilience, CHEERS, Adopt4Life, Multicultural Association of Northwestern Ontario, 360 Kids, Thunder Bay Indigenous Friendship Centre, Children's Aid Society of the District of Thunder Bay, North Eastern Ontario Family and Children's Services, Ottawa Children's Aid Society and CAST, Family and Children's Services of Guelph, Satori Foster Care Agency, CAMH, Creativision (Shawn), Laura Eggertson, Sara Wilde, Chantalle Clarkin and Dr. Allison Crawford. Thank you to Jill Dunlop, MPP Associate Minister of Children and Women's Issues who attended our OTF recognition event. Many thanks to our staff team Alisha Bowie, Rita Rwigamba, Corrie Stewart, Angela Peters and Board of Directors for their support! |
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