Community Engagement and Special Projects
We are always looking for opportunities for education, advocacy, and community engagement and take on many special projects not classifiable under a particular program. Check out what we are up to in our news and events section or have a look at some recent initiatives below:
Rosemary Brown Award for Women
Rosemary Brown was an inspiring Canadian woman who greatly influenced and affected the global agenda towards equality and justice for all.
Throughout her life, Rosemary worked to break down social economic and political barriers in the hope of achieving a world where all could be equal in dignity, self respect, and human rights.
Rosemary was a distinguished social worker, a politician, an author, a media personality, an academic, a feminist, and a loving mother and grandmother. She was bestowed with 16 honourary Doctorates from Canadian universities and was a member of the Privy Council, the Order of Canada, the Order of BC, and the Order of Jamaica. She was also the first Black woman to be elected to a Canadian legislature and she was the first woman to run for leadership of the federal New Democratic Party. She served as the Chief Commissioner of the Ontario Human Rights Commission and she served on numerous Boards and Committees that were committed to equality principles.
Rosemary was fearless. Her tireless efforts, her indomitable spirit, her passion, and her integrity will be forever remembered and sorely missed.
Rosemary Brown Award for Women Recipient
Each year a theme is selected and candidates who demonstrate exceptional qualities and achievements in that area are sought by the supporting organizations.
2019: The Honourable Judge Marion Buller
The Honourable Judge Marion Buller was appointed the first woman First Nations judge in British Columbia in 1994 and was appointed as chief commissioner for the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls in 2016. Prior to being appointed to the Provincial Court bench, Judge Buller worked as a civil and criminal lawyer (1988 – 1994). Judge Buller Bennett served as both a director and president of Canada’s Indigenous Bar Association and has been a member of the B.C. Police Commission and the Law Court Education Society. She was the Commission Counsel for the Caribou-Chilcotin Justice Inquiry and published reports and articles dealing with Aboriginal rights and legal services for First Nations in BC. Judge Buller was instrumental in starting the First Nations Court of British Columbia in 2006.
Judge Buller received her bachelor’s degree in anthropology from the University of Victoria, and went on to study law there as well. Judge Buller is currently resident in Port Coquitlam, British Columbia, where she sits on the Provincial Court Bench, but maintains band membership with the Mistawasis First Nation in Saskatchewan.
In 2012, Judge Buller received the Distinguished Alumni Award from the UVic Faculty of Social Science.
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“To be Black and female in a society which is both racist and sexist is to be in the unique position of having nowhere to go but up!” – Rosemary Brown (1930–2003) |
Previous Recipients of the Rosemary Brown Award:
2018, Women in Politics: Ellen Woodsworth
2017, Children’s Rights: Dana Brynelsen
2016, Women in Politics: Dawn Black
2015, Women in Human Rights: Daphne Bramham
2014, Women’s Rights: West Coast LEAF
2013, Women in Labour Movement: Alice West
2012, Children’s Rights: Wilma Clarke
2011, International Development: Suzanne M. Taylor
2010, Social Justice & Community Development: Jean Swanson
2009, Women in Human Rights: The Grandmothers to Grandmothers Campaign
2008, Women in Politics: Margaret Mitchell
2007, Women in Labour Movement: Angela Schira
2006, Children’s Rights: Valerie Fronczek
2005, Women’s Rights: Barbara Binns
Past Projects
SCY has a rich history of work over the last 50 years. To learn more about our history and highlights from decades past, visit our History page here.
A People's Project
Canada’s first youth-led youth rights monitoring project
A People’s Project was Canada’s first youth-lead rights monitoring project led by SCY in partnership with the Coalition for Kids and the Child and Youth Advocate for the City of Vancouver.
The project evolved out of concerns expressed by numerous child and youth serving agencies that changes to provincial legislation governing the delivery of child and youth services not only failed to address this situation, but increased BC’s violations of Canada’s UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). This pilot project demonstrated a way to support youth in having a voice on their rights. The final product of this project was A People’s Project Toolkit, which helps youth and community groups lead their own rights monitoring project, is available for download in our resource section.
Monitoring activities were based on the Children’s Rights Monitoring Toolkit produced by the Canadian Coalition for the Rights of Children.
UBC Family Medicine Health Advocacy
Increasing the capacity of healthcare professionals to be health advocates
Treating patients’ ailments isn’t all there is to being a physician. It also means promoting health awareness, collaborating with community & social services, and being an educator on healthy practices. This project explored how to build the capacity of healthcare professionals to be health advocates for children and youth in BC.
Dr. Shafik Dharamsi (UBC Family Medicine), Dr. Bob Woollard, and SCY partnered to increase health advocacy by creating a model for health care professionals to use when taking on the role of a health advocate for children and their families.
Youth Media Training
Youth Media Training
In 2011 – 2012 we recruited 10 pretty stellar youth who created 6 radio announcements on their rights and issues that were important to them, each based on their personal experience. These PSAs were played on radio stations throughout the province during 2012.
Listen to PSA 1
Healthcare is fundamental to the well-being of all children, youth, their families, and communities and is a right that each young person has (Article 24 of the UNCRC). However access to healthcare is not always guaranteed for every young person in BC.
We often think of access to healthcare as simply having a doctor that is close enough for us to get to, but the right includes so much more.
Listen to PSA 2
Just like us, when no one listens to them, youth feel powerless and vulnerable. Listening to children and young people is not always easy, but it is very important to their positive development.
That’s why the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child has described being given a voice in matters that affect them, as a fundamental right for all those under the age of 18 years. Like all rights, participation is subject to reasonable limits, and like all rights in the Convention, it is subject to parental guidance, the age and capacity of the child.
Listen to PSA 3
One of the more negative effects of prejudice and discrimination that children and youth face as a daily part of their lives are stereotypes.
Stereotypes are an over-generalization, a “snap shot” perspective frozen in time and place that superimposes a perception of someone solely based on their group membership or outwardly attributes.
Listen to PSA 4
Most people are shocked to learn that we have reason to be concerned about child labour in BC. They are shocked to learn that children aged 12 to 14 can be employed in BC with very few restrictions and that government does not keep track of how many children this age are working.
Though it is normally assumed that government looks out for our children when they go to work, this is no longer accurate. What happened?
Listen to PSA 5
All children have the right to protection from harm. Exposure to any kind of violence including harassment, abuse, bullying, and child trafficking can result in a shorter lifespan, poor health outcomes, educational challenges, homelessness, and poor parenting skills later in life. Conversely, children who have their right to protection respected tend to be mentally healthy, confident, and less likely to abuse others including their own children later in life.
Listen to PSA 6
Access to safe housing is a basic right for young people (United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, Article 27), yet on any given night, it is estimated that there are between 500 and 1,000 “street” youth in Vancouver.
Youth With Disabilities In Conflict With The Law
Youth with Disabilities in Conflict with the Law
This multi-year initiative focused on raising awareness of the over-representation of youth with disabilities, particularly ‘hidden disabilities,’ among youth in conflict with the law and engaging stakeholders (youth, families, support professionals, and policy makers) to work towards an integrated community of support and practice model.
A detailed report and discussion paper from this project are available in our resource section.
1. Discussion Paper: “Realizing Rights – Responding to Needs”
2. Community Consultation Report: “Realizing Rights – Responding to Needs”
3. Community Consultation Report, Executive Summary
4. Springboard for Action – May 2009 Roundtable Report
Youth Taking Action
Youth Taking Action
The Youth Taking Action project was an initiative led by SCY in partnership with the Red Cross RespectED: Violence Abuse Prevention program and the BC Institute Against Family Violence, with the support of the Vancouver Foundation and Vancity. The project engaged youth filmmakers, who were or had lived in care, in two weekend filmmaking workshops with Reel Youth. The youth developed three films to help raise the awareness of the rights of youth living in care.
My Life Through The Lens Youth Photovoice Project
My Life Through the Lens Youth Photovoice Project
In November 2015, SCY conducted two Photovoice projects with youth in Vernon and Kitimat. The idea behind this project was to empower youth to examine their rights within their communities and take action toward positive change.
In the workshops, youth learned about their rights, grassroots social activism, metaphorical photography, ethical issues related to photography, and developed leadership and planning skills. After the workshops, youth were supported to take their own metaphorical photographs about child rights and their communities and come up with quotes to express their ideas.
Following the completion of the project, photo exhibits were held in both communities where youth were able to showcase their work and speak about their involvement in the project. Local decision-makers, community members, and family and friends of the youth attended.
Youth had the opportunity to share their voices and opinions and make recommendations on how to make their communities better places for youth.
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Vernon
Kitimat
Fostering Change Youth Photovoice Project
Fostering Change Youth Photovoice Project
In 2015, SCY piloted two youth photovoice projects aimed at increasing youth voice, participation, and action in their communities. Photovoice is an innovative method, which uses photography to tell stories and work towards social change. The objectives of photovoice are to:
- Help those who are often unheard gain a voice, enabling them to record and reflect on their experiences and their communities’ conditions
- Promote critical dialogue and knowledge about personal and community issues through photography
- Bring about change that will improve conditions and lives by reaching and influencing policy makers (Wang and Burris 1997)
The emphasis on social change in this method led SCY to explore further opportunities to engage youth in advocating for their rights using Photovoice. As such, in 2016 SCY began to work on a part of the Vancouver Foundation’s Fostering Change initiative aimed at improving policy, practice, and community connections for young people transitioning from foster care to adulthood.
This project involved the recruitment of 2 groups of youth transitioning out of foster care to participate in the project to express their stories and become agents for change in their communities. These groups were hosted in New Westminster and Abbotsford. Participants learned about the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, metaphorical photography, leadership, grassroots social movements, communication, and social media.
With ongoing support from the project coordinator, youth took photos that represented issues related to their transition from care to adulthood and their rights, selected their best photos, and created quotes that expressed the idea in each photo. Youth helped organize photo exhibits and gala events to which local decision makers were invited. Discussion panels were held at these events, during which youth presented the issues that they, and others in their situation, have been experiencing and the solutions they identified during the workshop sessions.
To view the complete library, visit this page.
Abbotsford
New Westminster
Youth Art For Change
Youth Art for Change
In 2016, youth in and from government care have participated in arts-based projects where they courageously explored some of the issues they face in their daily lives.
In 2017 the Society for Children and Youth of BC and First Call, in partnership with Vancouver Foundation’s Fostering Change Initiative, invited the artists to exhibit their work for the community to come out and hear their collective voice on issues and solutions identified from their lived experience. We honoured and celebrated their various art forms including paintings, photography, youth film, spoken word, and more. We also heard from a panel of media makers and organization leads who reflected on what is possible when we pair youth art and the quest for positive social change
Quote from participant “I’m excited to be heard, to not have an adult speak for me but to use my own voice to speak.”
Click here to view the gallery of photos from the event.
Fostering Change Youth Led Staff Awareness Training
Fostering Change Youth Led Staff Awareness Training
In 2016, SCY began to work on a part of the Vancouver Foundation’s Fostering Change initiative aimed at improving policy, practice, and community connections for young people transitioning from foster care to adulthood. SCY hosted two youth photovoice projects aimed at increasing youth voice and participation for those in and aging out of foster care.
During these workshops, the youth clearly identified a number of themes when discussing the difficulties they face in their daily lives. These themes include:
- Their experience of discrimination;
- The power of support (social and financial);
- The power of connection (cultural and familial);
- Their concern for high workload of social workers; and
- Their own resilience.
While having conversations with these youth about solutions and next steps, SCY began to explore the possibilities around supporting some youth-led customer service staff awareness training. In 2017, in partnership with the Vancouver Foundation, SCY recruited and hired 4 youth in and from government care to partner with us. These young people were trained in facilitation and then consulted groups of youth to get their input. They developed staff awareness training for customer service providers with whom they interact and who benefited from awareness about the experiences of youth in care and the importance of connections between these young people and their community. They then co-facilitated these sessions for customer service staff from various banks and credit unions.
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