IICRD

We are just A FEW DAYS away from Giving Tuesday! 💞

GivingTuesday is a day for giving back and we're so proud to be a part of it!
Our organization exists to help provide opportunities for children to lead, to play, to participate in the decisions that affect them most. These experiences build resilience in young people that they can thrive, play, in a healthy environment, free of violence and harm. 🌏

is a great way for us to further our mission. We hope you'll consider making a donation to our campaign. Your donation will go a long way in helping us achieve our goals! Every little bit helps and we are so grateful for your support!

Check out our campaign here! 👉 https://bit.ly/3X3TaLR

Call for BC Survey Respondents! 🗣

The Youth Research Academy is surveying BC youth aged 18 to 20 who are either currently in government care (or an alternative to government care such as on a Youth Agreement) or have aged out within the past year.

➡️ The survey takes about 20 minutes to complete, and youth receive a $25 e-gift card for completing their first survey.
➡️ Youth who complete the survey have the option to complete further surveys about every six months after that and receive a $30 e-gift card for each additional time point completed.

The survey asks questions about the youth's background, health (including mental health and substance use), experiences in care, living situations, education, employment, money, goals, access to services and supports, strengths and needs, and experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participation in the study is anonymous and confidential.

PARTNER Research Spotlight! 🌟📢

Land(ing) Back: Recentering Indigenous Youth Voices in Climate Action & Reconciliation

Created based on the conversations and recommendations from the Land(ing) Back audio blogs collaboratively produced and released by 4Rs Youth Movement (4Rs) and Youth Climate Lab (YCL), Land(ing) Back, the document is “a call to pay attention to the voices and perspectives of Indigenous young people, to be inspired by their work in community and around transformative approaches to creating healthier and sustainable futures for us all.” (3)

The authors highlighted 4 challenges and 4 key recommendations.

🏋️‍♀️ Challenges:

➡️ Narrow definition of youth climate action, volunteering and green jobs, which largely excludes grassroots movement work and criminalizes Indigenous representation and worldviews.
➡️ Narrow definitions of reconciliation that prioritizes the education of settlers, limiting Indigenous-led solutions.
➡️ Lack of access for Indigenous youth to green jobs, and funding to support Indigenous youth-led climate action.
➡️ Tokenism of Indigenous youth in government, institutional, and non-profit spaces.

📚 Recommendations:

➡️Fund Indigeonous youth-led climate actions and organizations, and improve accessibility of federally-funded green jobs programs for Indigenous youth.
➡️ Offer paid days off or barrier-free accommodation for youth to pursue climate-related volunteer work.
➡️ Understand, value and invest in diverse and intersectional approaches in the climate sector.
➡️ Adopt and implement Bill C-226 and provide unanimous consent to transform climate decision-making spaces to include youth.

READ the full report below, and FOLLOW the work of the authors:

📝 : 4Rs Youth Movement, Youth Climate Lab (YCL), Riley Yesno, Katelynne Herchak, Jessica Bolduc, Dominique Souris, Sabrina Guzman Skotnitsky