All Children and Youth Thrive!
National Day for Truth and Reconciliation: Time to Take Action
By Angela Bellegarde, OKN’s Manager of Indigenous Strategy September 30, 2022 marks Canada’s second National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. It is a day all Canadians are called to commemorate and honour all Indigenous people who attended Residential Schools, especially those who did not make it home. It is a day to reflect but to also take meaningful actions in Canada’s reconciliation process. Many of us know to wear orange shirts on September 30th but do you know why? The movement was started by Phyllis Webstad, who was excited to wear her orange shirt on her first day of attendance at Residential school. It was taken away from her and was the beginning of the trauma she would face during her school years. We wear orange to be reminded of how Residential Schools stripped the dignity, culture, and family away from Indigenous people in Canada. Residential Schools Created an Identity Struggle Until Today I have recently spent time in Saskatchewan with my extended family. Our...
Halton Youth Impact Survey Demonstrates the Ideals of National Child Day 2021
Including the Reflections of Halton Youth on the Survey Data is Critical to Preparing the Data for the Community By Elisabeth Wells, PhD, Our Kids Network research & knowledge mobilization manager As Canada prepares to mark National Child Day on November...
Celebrate and Advocate on National Child Day! #8MillionStrong #EveryChildMatters
By Angela Bellegarde, Our Kids Network Indigenous lead This year marks the 30th anniversary of Canada signing the United Nations (UN) Convention of the Rights of the Child, established in 1989. In fact, the UN’s Declaration of the Rights of the Child was developed 30...
The results are in: What do Halton youth have to say about their wellbeing?
By Connor Clerke, OKN knowledge broker In May and June 2021, Our Kids Network, in collaboration with UNICEF Canada, the Canadian Index of Wellbeing, Medivae Foundation and the Ontario Trillium Foundation, launched the Halton Youth Impact Survey. The survey was piloted...
HYI Community Builder Team Puts Trust and Truth into Action
By Siobhan Laverdiere, former Halton Youth Initiative Coordinator “It’s often said before there can be Reconciliation, there must be Truth. I would challenge that, even before Truth, there must be Trust.” Robyn Ward, Director of People Operations, Animikii As a former...
Two Voices on National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
Introduction by Beth Williams, Our Kids Network Communications Manager On September 30th people across Canada will observe the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, the fulfilment of Call to Action #80 in the Final Truth and Reconciliation Commission...
A Personal and Professional Reflection from a Non-Indigenous Perspective
By Joanna Matthews, Vice President, Services, Reach Out Centre for Kids ROCK Co-chair, Our Kids Network Community Planning Table I am a white European woman and use the pronouns she/her. As a small child, I immigrated to Canada from the colonizing country of England,...