We Wish You A

Merry Christmas!       

                                                                                          Happy Holidays!

            Happy Hanukkah!!!

                                Happy Kwanzaa!!

              Happy Winter Solstice!

Or whatever holiday you like to celebrate!

                And a Happy New Year!

His Day Is Done

A Tribute Poem for Nelson Mandela by Dr. Maya Angelou.  Moving beyond words.
Watch Here.

I Am His Social Worker

He doesn't do it for the money.  Bobby Lefebre, an award-winning spoken word artist, actor and social worker, reveals in this tremendous slam poetry performance his passion for impacting change through his profession as a social worker.  Brilliant and only four minutes.

This Will Astonish and Put a Smile on Your Face

Titus is about three years old basketball whiz who can sink baskets and trick shots from dizzying heights and he makes it look so simple.  He even takes on Bradley Cooper.
Watch Here.

Toward A World Free from Violence:  Global Survey on Violence Against Children

This is the first comprehensive attempt to assess progress in preventing and eliminating violence against children since the groundbreaking 2006 UN Study on Violence against Children.   Preparations for the Global Survey began in 2011, five years after the submission of the Study to the General Assembly.
Read the Full Report.

Does My Goldfish Know Who I Am?

How we can be sure that life isn't just a dream?  Why we don't have memories from the time we were babies and toddlers?   What do newspapers do when there is no news?  Do animals like cows and sheep have accents?  Children's funny, poignant, innocent yet insightful questions about science and how life works, answered by celebrated minds.
Read More.

Transgender Children in Canada to Get More Support, Expert Says

A network of support for transgender children is growing in Canada, at clinics working to help youth transition from one gender to another.  But critics say it raises ethical questions about when children are able to make medical decisions.
For Full Report.

Youth Leadership Grants

The Starbucks Foundation is interested in supporting organizations that equip young people ages 15 to 24 years old in the three following areas: Business Savvy: Having the ability to leverage opportunities with integrity and innovation; to make good decisions and achieve results.  Social Conscience: Valuing the impact an individual and enterprise can have on the community.  Collaborative Communication: Engaging others in an inclusive manner across teams, functions and cultures; ability to leverage new and creative ways of communication.

Straight No Chaser

Probably the best rendition of The Twelve Days of Christmas you will ever hear.  Clever and funny.
Watch Here.

One in Seven Canadian Kids Living in Poverty

There are 967 000 children in Canada living in poverty - 24 years after federal pledge to eradicate it.  38.2% of children of single mother in Ontario are living in poverty.
Read more here.

Canada's Youngest Entrepreneurs Get a Head Start at School

Millennial's are twice as likely as the average Canadian to start a business in the next 12 months.  It turns out that Generation Y, the under 30 crowd that is often maligned as lazy and self-serving, may be full of would-be entrepreneurs who are embracing the idea of being their own bosses.
Read more here.

B.C. has Canada's Highest Child Poverty Rate

First Call:  BC Child and Youth Advocacy Coalition, released a report last Tuesday based on Statistics Canada data that shows more than 18% of children in the province live below the low-income cut off, which is synonymous with the poverty line.
Read More Here.

Solving Canada's Adoption Problem

There are a couple of things about children in care that most Canadians don't know.  If they "age out" of care at age 16 or 17, without becoming part of a family, the odds rise dramatically that they will fall prey to many social ills.  Criminal activity, homelessness, mental illness, substance abuse, teen pregnancy - all become more likely.  Ironically, this is likely to lead to another generation of children living out their lives in foster or institutional care, as their parents won't be able to provide for them.
Read More Here

A Reader Sent This In

Some information to help you navigate the internet with teens.