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This is a corrected copy of the latest issue of D&D, keeping you up to date on Ontario Council activities.  One of the links  to full articles was omitted in the original transmission.
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September 29, 2012
Standing Committees

 

Joint Morning Session

Speaker Irwin Elman is Ontario's first Provincial Advocate for Children and Youth, a position he has held since 2008. Mr. Elman has an extensive background as an educator, counsellor, youth worker, program manager, policy developer and child and youth advocate, for the CAS and CCAS and with other groups in Ontario, Jamaica, Hungary, and Japan. The Youth Advocate office reports directly to the legislature, not through a minister, and describes its purpose as:

1."Provide an independent voice for children and youth including First Nations children and youth and children with special needs by partnering with them to bring issues forward"; and

2."Encourage communication and understanding between children and families and those who provide them with services"; and

3." Educate children, youth and their caregivers regarding the rights of children and youth, (referencing the U.N Convention on the Rights of the Child and assessing Canada's progress in applying the Act)"

 

Mr. Elman sees himself as "walking beside children and youth in care"

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Education Committee    

 

 

Our speaker, Martha Friendly, a child care expert, founder and Executive Director of the Childcare Resource and Research Unit at the University of Toronto, spoke of her vision of child care. Martha spoke about the Ontario situation because conditions in childcare vary across the country.  

 

CFUW has been working on this issue since the 1970s and Martha outlined a vision for a mature system in place by 2020.Martha outlined how we needed to design a system. To do that, you must design a vision statement that describes the mature system you envisage. You must state a purpose, a rationale for your vision, and the principles on which it is based. You must outline your goals, the desired outcomes for the children, their families, women and the economy.

Some of these purposes are

1. To enable more women to participate into the workforce

2. Child development: preparation for schooling, to support learning and development

3. Others such as alleviate poverty, women's equality or women's rights, the economy, human capital, local labour force, societal goals such as social inclusion and anti crime, children's right to education and, a fair share of resources.

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Legislation Committee


The session of the Standing Committee on Legislation was chaired by Brenda Robertson, as a new Legislation Chair is yet to be appointed. Appreciation was extended to Jane Sagar for her leadership during the past two years.

 

We began with a round table that included introductions as well as a statement of issues each club is working on:  these included poverty, aboriginal education, child care, transit, financial literacy and mental health to name just a few. 

                                         

The session followed the morning theme of Youth in Care.  It was lead by two youth, Wendy Hayes, one of the Youth Leads who was primarily responsible for the Social Media, Communication aspect of the Hearings, and Jurgen Reyes who is an active member on the Ministry Working Group struck by Children and Youth Minister Eric Hoskins.   Both young people in their early twenties, were children in care.  The  Hearings  and the Working Group were established to give voice to youth about the systemic problems that exist for children and youth in care, i.e. Crown Wards.  They spoke about the numerous moves from home to home, their lack of a sense of belonging, their isolation and their vulnerability.  They told us that when you are in this system, you develop the sense that you have no control over what happens to you.  You don't develop the life skills or the decision making skills that are needed for independence. 
 

Status of Women &
Human Rights Committee

 

 Summary

We heard from two women's networking groups:

  • Kitchener-Waterloos (K-W) Women's Group Network (Liz Simpson and Barb Spronk)
  • Advancement of Women, Halton (Anne Douglas)
CFUW KW Women's Group Network

The Women's Group Network of Kitchener Waterloo and Area started by talking to the local Social Planning Council, which took the lead in inviting groups to join. Initially 71 groups were contacted. A notice for an organizing breakfast was posted in the K-W record. It was attended by 51 people representing 40 organizations. The Networking Group is loosely structured. It is mostly a virtual group through Groups.google.com. The Networking Group holds three in-person meetings/year with a focus on showcasing one organization at each meeting. The Steering Committee is co-chaired by CFUW K-W and the Muslim Women K-W. CFUW K-W's link to the Network is the chair of their Advocacy Group. The focus of the network is to address women's issues, connect with each other, share information, plan joint activities and support advocacy efforts. The group also serves as a source for speakers and idea exchange.  

 

Advancement of Women Halton
The Advancement for Women Halton started in 2007 with the recruitment of a former politician by three women, two from CFUW Oakville and the third, a woman very involved in a local organization called WHAM (Women of halton Action Movement). 

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Upcoming Meetings

Fall Gatherings 2012

 

Ontario East

Living on Earth as if we want to stay

Hosted by CFUW Renfrew & District  

October 20  

 

Ontario South

Places to Grow and Glow

Hosted by CFUW Milton  

October 20   

 

Ontario West

 Inspiring Growth: imagination, innovation &i-clouds

Hosted by CFUW Guelph  

October 27  

 


 

 

 

NEXT STANDING COMMITTEES  MEETING


January 19, 2013 


Yorkminster Park Baptist Church
1585 Yonge Street


Topic: Student College/University Math Preparedness

 


Speaker: Dr. Laurel Schoellen, Seneca College

 

 


Check In 9:00 to 10:00 a.m.
Meeting Begins at 10:00 a.m.
Catering requires pre-registration  

special dietary needs managed on request please indicate on your registration form. 

 

 


 

 

ONTARIO COUNCIL ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

  

 

MAKING CONNECTIONS, MAKING COMMUNITIES

May 3 & 4, 2013 

Hosted by CFUW Sudbury