• Background of the Alliance
• Context of the Symposium
• Focus of the Symposium

• Overview of Training Day
• Opening Keynote Speaker
• Keynote Questions
• Panel Discussion: Advocacy by using Research to Tell the Story
• Panelist Presentation Highlights
  • Cindy Blackstock: First Nations Children
  • Ginger Gosnell: Connecting Aboriginal Youth Policy and Programming
  • Karen Edwards: The Path to Programming
  • Panel Questions and Comments
• Dialogue Session
• Group Discussion Summary Points
• Thursday Afternoon Panel: The Role of Community Services
  • Christa Williams: First Nations Education Steering Committee
  • Alfred Gay (National Association of Friendship Centres)
  • Tina Martin (Assembly of First Nations)
  • Panel Questions and Comments
• Group Dialogue Session
• Group Discussion Summary Points
• Closing Speaker - Veronica Dewar: "Advocacy on Behalf of Indigenous Peoples at the International Level

• Panel Discussion: Lessons from Advocacy on Behalf of Vulneralbe Populations
• Wahida Valiante: "Children: Our Most valuable Resource"
• Nick Summers (Canadian Council for Refugees)
• Rosemary McCarney: "A Lost Lecade - Youth at Risk"
• Janis Douglas: "Lessons from Advocacy on Behalf of Children and Youth with Disabilities
• Panel Questions and Comments
• "Working with Government to move the public policy agenda for children and youth"
  • Robbin Tourangeau, Social Policy Advisor
  • Gail Dugas (VP Canadian Council on Social Development)
• P.A.T.H. Workshop
  • Creating a Vision - The North Star
  • Creating Strategies
  • The Possible and Positive
  • Action Steps
  • First Steps
• Closing Remarks

A. Introduction

• Learn about challenges to the health and well-being of Aboriginal children and to understand how all children can be helped to reach their potential through community services, infrastructure, partnerships, public policy and advocacy; and
• Develop strategies and policy options in order to advocate for change to improve the lives of children.

B. Proceedings

B.1. Setting the Stage

Dianne Bascombe, Executive Director of the Alliance welcomed everyone on behalf of the Symposium Working Group and provided an overview of the Alliance and set the context for the Symposium. She highlighted the unique features of the Alliance and reviewed its goals and objectives.

a) Background of the Alliance

Approximately fifty eight member organizations came together to develop policy and to advocate for the purpose of contributing to the federal agenda as it relates to children and youth issues.

The Alliance’s goals are to

1. Facilitate dialogue with government on children’s issues;
2. Strengthen the network of national voluntary organizations and NGO’s;
3. Develop policy recommendations;
4. Engage provincial/territorial/regional constituent organizations in working collaboratively on issues; and
5. Promote the development and implementation of national children’s agenda.

The Alliance is a cross-sectoral and broad coalition with members from the health, education, literacy, environment, early childhood, and medical sectors. It works on issues that cut across all organizations, cultures and communities. The Alliance is ‘anti structural’ in that the work of its members are supported by a small secretariat of two staff positions through funding provided by Social Development Canada.

The Alliance works as a collective based on consensus. In developing any new initiative or plan of action it is important to understand that decision-making is made within the operating principles of:

• Respect for independence and collaboration
• Focus on issues that can be better addressed collectively, rather than individually
• Focus on outcomes
• Maintain an open table with respect and goodwill
• Keep room at the table for critical thinking and disagreement
• Speak as a collective only when a consensus has been reached
• Keep government and media interventions strategic
• Manage input and consultation effectively

A full description of the Alliance is posted on the Alliance site at: www.nationalchildrensalliance.com

b) The Context of the Symposium

In contrast to the lives experienced by other Canadian children and youth, Aboriginal children are more likely to experience poverty, health problems, maltreatment, incarceration, low rates of educational success, and placement in child welfare systems. The numbers of children in care are increasing in Canada and the problem is particularly acute for Aboriginal children. Although the latter represents less than five percent of the child population in Canada, they account for at least thirty percent of Canada’s children in care. From 1996 through 2001 it is estimated that the numbers of Aboriginal children in care increased by seventy-one percent.

Federal and provincial/territorial funding formulas need to ensure adequate flexibility and levels of resources to Aboriginal child and family service agencies and other community supports. In the case of First Nations Child and Family Service Agencies this would mean implementing the recommendations arising from the First Nations Child and Family Services Joint National Policy Review published in June 2000. This includes the recommendation that funding formulas need to be revised to ensure adequate levels of resources to Aboriginal community services and supports for children and families.

c) Focus of the Symposium

Dianne Bascombe said that: “We are here together to find ways to collaborate with Aboriginal mandated organizations using an Aboriginal lens”; and that the Alliance always looks to consider issues founded upon evidence based advocacy, and about issues have been front and centre on the Alliance table for the past two years. A day of dialogue in October 2003 set the foundation for moving the Alliance’s work forward in relation to Aboriginal children and youth issues.

By the time sessions finish, it is hoped that concrete policy has been developed, and options, ways and means for all of us to have an impact on upcoming policy development opportunities.

B.2. Day One: Thursday March 25, 2004

Opening Keynote Speaker

John Milloy was the symposium’s opening keynote speaker. His presentation was titled: “Community, Children and Capacity” and it is available in full on the NCA website.

Click here for the full text of the "Community, Children, and Capacity" presentation by John Milloy.

John spoke as a historian and by “walking backwards into the future “he looked at social welfare policy, communities and policy-makers and social workers in the period 1940 to 1980; and the many issues of, for example, fostering and adoption of children during that time. John noted that these children “became neglected step children and were kept in perpetual wardship”, all which resulted in a state of dependence and huge health and income problems.

Most affected were Aboriginal children. By 1906 goals that had been set by officials were unable to be achieves as the abuses and health problems broke in a storm of litigation in 1986.

He spoke of the issues surrounding residential schools and the church, the Brice Report; the role of Indian Affairs, the RCMP, the Children’s Aid Society; and the continued assault on communities and children with the removal of thousands of Aboriginal children from their families.

John then turned his comments to the future, and how, although there is a resistance to change the future lie on building communities of common cause and a community of collaboration. Aboriginal action and cooperation is where we need to start.

Keynote Questions

Q: How could this happen in silence?
A: Noise was being made inside Indian Affairs, in that there were whistle blowers, mainly women, but no one seemingly either wanted to do something about it or didn’t know how. Complaints would go to the Department and then to the Church, who in turn said that there were no real problems. The mystery was not the silence; it was in the not doing anything about it. They wouldn’t give out any information because it was explosive material.

Q: In your research did you have access to provincial records?
A: No, children in care disappeared. Hypocrisy and lack of funding were the real shocking things. It was an open secret in the department.

Q: Why were the whistle blowers in effective?
A: Whistle blowers, who were in the main Indian Agents and women from the church, were written off or got rid of by Indian Affairs. Public denial and private correction was the solution.

It was noted by a participant that First Nations persons, Métis and those of mixed blood were also in these schools, and because they didn’t get funding so they became servants. These groups are ‘reclaiming their voice’.

Panel Discussion: Advocacy by Using Research to Tell the Story

The objective of the panel session was to enhance advocacy by using research to tell the story of how our children are doing.

The panellists were: Cindy Blackstock, First Nations Child and Family Caring Society (FNCFSA); Ginger Gosnell, Assembly of First Nations National Youth Council; and

Karen Edwards, Edmonton Big Brothers and Big Sisters. The panel moderator was Maggie Fietz.

• There are between 22,500 and 28,000 First Nations children in the care of the Canadian child welfare system, three times the number that attended residential schools in the 1940’s.
• According to government of Canada data the number of First Nations children in care resident on reserve increased by 71.5% nationally between 1995 and 2001.
• Census data suggests the North American Indian child population decreased 1% during this same time period

• Participate in Caring Across the Boundaries training sessions to learn how to work respectfully in a mutually beneficial way with First Nations.
• Sign our petition asking Prime Minister Martin to ensure every child in Canada has equal benefit under child welfare law.
• Learn more about how to support FNCFSA – visit our databases on line at www.fncfcs.com.

• using Aboriginal mentors for Aboriginal youth or provide support for cross-cultural mentoring;
• having a screening process but perhaps using different approaches for Aboriginal mentors; instituting community training programs to increase the number of role models in the community;
• Building on existing programs and strengths and avoid duplication
• Using recreation as the vehicle for mentoring process
• Youth serving as peer mentors
• Providing transportation.

Panel Questions & Comments:

‘I think it’s more appropriate to consider connecting them to their appropriate cultures. Native children in care may be placed in multiple homes with multiple different cultures, including Spanish or some other diverse cultural setting. If you’re going to try to connect [them], if they could get back to their own language, traditions, and even their family roots, so not to confuse our children anymore’.

"We are working with reserve groups to seek common strategies. One was a pilot on a reserve with a 90% crime rate. We did a training program and within one year the crime rate dropped to 10% using Inter agency groups. That’s how successful it was. The difference is that our mentoring project is on-reserve."

Maggie Fietz thanked the panellists for allowing the Symposium participants to hear about the needs expressed in a challenging and moving way.


Dialogue Session

Dianne Bascombe, in her introduction to the dialogue session said that: the panel discussion reflected the response of the symposium participants to the “blindness, the deafness around these issues, and the gap between rhetoric and existing public policy.” She also noted that we are now more aware of the issue of residential schools and the real policy implications that arose from the panellist’s presentations and that the lack of data until 1998 around our child welfare system contributed to the blindness around the issues As well, this has been compounded by lack of funding for child services.

The morning’s messages were clear, in that we do not focus on the problem, but move forward on solutions and develop what public policy funding solutions are needed. Regardless of the community, we need to focus on teaching within the community we reside, and we need community involvement and supports.

In introducing the questions for the group discussions, Dianne asked the participants to keep in mind what might the policy options or changes be that are needed to move forward.

Questions for Discussion:

• What surprised you about the issues raised by the panel presentations?
• How do community infrastructure and assets impact upon the health and well-being of Aboriginal children and youth?
• What are the ways in which the voluntary sector can assist in addressing the issues raised by the panellists?
• What are the implications for public policy?
• With the upcoming federal election, what should we ask for?

• To be effective we need far greater education of how the civic system works and to advocate and lobby as a group
• What does it take to shift perception so the human element prevails?
• Invest in learning.
• Reach around government to reach the people
• Use native-centered or defined words to discuss issues with media and when lobbying
• Voluntary sector needs to play a role in the solutions. This is a humanitarian and Canadian issue, not an Aboriginal issue.
• Advocate for Aboriginal youth regardless of where they live.
• Deliver a collective message.
• The voluntary sector needs to adopt the consciousness of working with Aboriginal organizations and their issues, and these need to be integrated in the fabric of our
• organizations, as the NCA reaches millions of Canadians.
• In terms of community infrastructure ad health, Nunavut is still limited.
• Human, financial and community programming for children must be strengthened.
• Children need the freedom to dream, and this is accomplished through a stronger community. If adults can’t see a future, how can the children?
• We need to flip trend towards risk management and quality management
• Voluntary sector and the NCA is a very powerful voice so let’s use it. Pick one issue, for example, children in care and make a difference on a number of levels
• Strengthen community-based strategies, including strengthening single mothers and families ( in a broad sense) through mentoring
• Let’s create youth programs and services that have a stake in their own future!
• Partnerships & collaborations between Aboriginal and non- Aboriginal organizations. What is preventing us from doing this? We need to overcome fear.
• We need for resource collaboration between voluntary sector and Aboriginal groups
• Finding ways to tackle and collaboration on common problems, as the unified voice is harder to ignore
• This topic is very difficult and the issues very complicated and long standing ( i.e. poverty, inequality of access)
• We have the research; we now need to support community action. We have theist, we need action!
• Is it the role of voluntary sector to support and empower Aboriginal community action and capacity (services)?
• How does Aboriginal community want the voluntary section to support them?
• The boundaries of organizational scope may be beyond supporting Aboriginal groups and communities?
• We could position collective around support for ‘community’.
• The need for knowledge, awareness /consciousness raising, focusing on accomplishments and recognize progress in the issues
• The importance of coalition: building the collegiate voice, not working in isolation,
• Breaking the code or voice of silence by providing more history, teaching about Aboriginal gropes, needs and cultures, history
• We can learn from this past to help government identify outcomes (i.e. stats of reserves
• We need to articulate future outcomes.
• We need to have a unified voice with the Aboriginal community to address issues, to be change maker, and pressure government to identify outcomes ( i.e. UN outcome
• indicators)
• Victimization can be both empowering and disempowering depending upon how they play out – i.e. concluding that problem is too vast and paralyzing ( i.e. issue of childhood obesity and temptation for quick fixes)
• From a public policy perspective, understanding the complexity of the issues and recognizing our propensity to repeat mistakes. The best way to avoid mistakes engaging in common sense discussions and understanding before we move ahead to resolve problems.

Surprises:

• By the disconnect between perception of the funding money that goes to Aboriginal communities and the lack of services
• That Canada is in consistent violation of many laws, for example the Charter of Human Rights and Rights of the Individual and UN Declarations.
• Not very surprised about issues, but very surprised about the lack of data about the number of children in care and the enormity of the child welfare population ( i.e. increased number o f children in care now that the days of residential schools).
• The barriers faced (i.e. accessibility issues for organizations to access existing resources/funding) for Aboriginal peoples
• We were struck by parallels between past and present (i.e. residential schools and reserves), government is well aware of issues and still not doing anything (i.e. child welfare); outcomes are also similar in hat they are poorly articulated, as well there are the jurisdictional issues of paralysis.

Panel Questions

Q : What learning’s can we bring into this NCA process?
A : Dependent upon the quality of leadership in the community and degree of involvement of Aboriginals in any community, some communities are open to collaboration, others aren’t. Step away from individual needs

Q : What recommendation could you offer to us to begin assist you?
A: Aboriginal communities need to know what they want, we always seek out self-determination, and so NCA will have to listen to the Aboriginal community. Ask yourself from policy or position papers how you could seek out and help? Stepping forward and then getting into dialogue and brainstorming to figure out where the opportunities are would be beneficial to both groups.

Group Dialogue Session: Advocating for Change at home

Moderator: Dianne Bascombe

Questions for Discussion:

• What kinds of supports are needed most to improve the lives of Aboriginal children and youth, both on and off reserve? What makes a community more liveable for an Aboriginal child? What kind of community do Aboriginal children want?
• How do community, health and social supports make a difference in the lives of Aboriginal children and youth?
• Can your organization give specific examples of successful programs and supports it has provided? What do you need in order to achieve success?
• How can community partnerships in service delivery create the momentum for changes to improve the supports for all children, both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal?
• What role can service providers play in advocating for improvements to community services for children?

Group Discussion Summary Points

• With all due respect, ask the community.
• Children want safety, security, a sense of community, the opportunity to learn, to be successful at school and to see themselves in the school curriculum, to be part of a community that has high expectations for their children and supports them. Communities become love liveable when they have sufficient resources and equitable supports for families and parents. Communities are more liveable also with stable government and where there is more control over the sateen, where the community manages to own resources, and makes their own decision. Communities need an internal accountability process for their leaders. Youth leaders come through much stronger process to hold their leaders accountable.
• Supports have made a difference, for example: Chandler’s research in British Columbia that showed a huge decrease in suicide in communities that had cultural based education, health care and child welfare program, women in government, tribal police and fire persons, and were further along in self government. These communities had little to no suicides. This research is consistent with other countries in Aboriginal or indigenous communities.
• Successful projects have been where support is provided to communities to re-engage, to be in charge, to design and to exercise leadership.
• Support mothers and primary care workers.
• Provide community based services.
• Strengthen families.
• Divert money spent on child welfare.
• Works toward accountability from INAC down to see where the money goes and what needs are not being funded at all.
• Continue with events such as the NCA Symposium to strengthen alliances and networks.
• Strengthen links between direct and non direct service organizations.
• The NCA should advocate around one key issue at a time.
• These are complex issues. We need to examine different levels of the issue and look at a number of different aspects and approaches.
• Continue with workshops.
• Use sport, like a program one group has with the Vancouver Canucks.
• Need for peer support and peer mentorship, someone who has had the experiences emphasize the system of support throughout generations
• It is critical to have a meaningful voice for Aboriginal youth to be involved in the decision making process.

Closing Speaker

Veronica Dewar, President, Pauktuutit Inuit Women’s Association of Canada: “Advocacy on behalf of indigenous peoples at the international level: the Arctic Council process”.

Veronica provided a brief introduction of Pauktuutit, shared some of the many issues that face today’s Inuit children and youth in Canada and across circumpolar nations, and touched on some of the ways we have responded to these challenges.

Pauktuutit is committed to advocating for social change that will improve life for Inuit women, their children and their communities. There is an on-going and severely under-addressed crisis in social housing for Inuit, so growing numbers of Inuit children continue to be disadvantaged in ways that will impact them throughout their lives. Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), traditional midwifery, maternal and infant care and pre-natal programs, teen pregnancy, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD), and child sexual assault are among their many child-related programs. The needs of Inuit children in urban areas are also of great concern.

It would be difficult to overstate the effect on our children of the fact of our culture changing in less than fifty years from an isolated, family-based economy based on subsistence hunting and seasonal relocation, to population migration from small communities to regional centres and an economy of wage earning employment and living in permanent housing.

It has become obvious that if we are to truly assess the damage and implement many more results-driven programs, financial and human resources must be increased. If we are to identify effective opportunities for beneficial legislative and public policy intervention we must get on the radar of the governments and policy-makers, the funders and advocates - raise awareness across the country of this little-known and no longer acceptable secret in the north.

One of the tools we need to use more to help us ‘get on the radar’ is solid scientific information, statistical confirmation to validate accounts of the critical circumstances facing Inuit and especially Inuit children. The Arctic Council also plays this role. It was formed in 1996 to improve circumpolar cooperation to promote the economic, social and cultural well-being of Northern people.

Panel Questions & Comments:

• We have a burgeoning population so there will not be enough jobs if retirement age (policy) is increased.
• There is a need for more early childhood development and child care.

Janice Douglas thanked Veronica for providing a clear context for the situation, issues and solutions in play in the North.

B.2. Day Two: Friday March 26, 2004

Objective: To learn about strategies and techniques from those who advocate on behalf of vulnerable populations

The panelists were: Wahida Valiante, Canadian Islamic Congress; Nick Summers, Canadian Council for Refugees; Rose McCarney, Street Kids International; and Janis Douglas, Canadian Association for Community Living.

Moderator: Sandra Griffin

Janis Douglas, Canadian Association for Community Living: ‘Lessons from Advocacy on behalf of children & youth with disabilities’

Janis shared the CACL approach to advocacy. The highlights included:

1. Creating a profile for the issue to show how certain groups are vulnerable and excluded from societal benefits through building of alliances and coalitions
2. Doing Research: We need statistics and tell the story!
3. Developing a coherent policy agenda with key elements, which included: an overarching framework; inclusive lens; guiding principles; examination of current policies and practice, and demonstration of considerable effort to ameliorate the unacceptable gap in meeting the social development needs of populations of vulnerable children and their families.
4. Building and advancing an agenda with an inclusion lens; understanding that developing and implementing an inclusive children’s public policy agenda is not about improving policy for children with disabilities; it is about improving it for all children
5. Identify what the pieces are and more forward.
6. Linking of Children and Family Agenda’s, as a strong family support policy is one of the first steps in building a family enabling society and removing barriers to improving the well-being of all children in Canada
7. Building solidarity and a policy agenda that is driven at the Federal/Provincial and Territorial levels.

• 5% of children in care take 95% of resources, therefore linkages are needed.
• The Rights of the Child is an entry point, but Street Kids speak about the un-fulfillment of the convention. The children we work with have no adults to protect their assertive and protective rights. The convention has only gone part way. It is however a good benchmark as it at least sets a standard and we use it as a tool.

Tips & Suggestions:

• She counselled that organizations must be prepared for distractions and the fact that there is nothing as slow as working a piece of agenda in the House. This is true, particularly at this point due to the recent leadership campaign and an upcoming election. The legislative agenda is more like working around parliament and learning to bide your time.
• The new budget was disappointing for children’s issues. As an exercise Gail did a Hansard search of the last session, and found that the sponsorship scandal consumed discussion in the House. Social issues came up only 80 times and it was around income adjustments. So there is lots of work to be done.
• Target conservative MP’s as it is platform time, they don’t have a platform right now, and they have an imaging problem. They don’t have a children’s representative in the party.
• On the CCCD website there are statistics and research that can be used to write letters to editors and MP’s. They will use it because they are busy and they are looking for something to hang on to.
• Pick one issue, say it 101 times and be straightforward. Pick two questions for all levels of news outlets, i.e.: what is an acceptable level of children living in poverty, and what is the length of time for children to be living in poverty?
• Another challenge is that healthier children is related to other factors such as housing, and employment, and government is not interconnected, so as a result, while there is discussion about breaking jurisdictional barriers, more children stay in poverty.
• CCCD is undertaking a campaign at CCSD about Social Transfer funds. They are hoping to start a cross-Canada dialogue soon.

1. Ten (10) NCA First Step Awards are awarded at the community level & 10 Second Step Awards are awarded to recipients at the next Symposium in 2005.
2. Indian Affairs provides an increase of 22% in Family Support.
3. There are harmonious relations in the US regarding the war and the missile defense activities have been cancelled.
4. All political parties have children and youth in their election platforms and 2005 budget reflects inclusive policies for children and youth.
5. The National Action Plan for children has goals and outcomes established.
6. The NCA has provincial and territorial alliances participating.
7. The minimum wage is $9.00 an hour.
8. There is a shift in funding from contributions to grants to support NGO’s (sustained capacity funding).
9. The CSTF is strong, has funding and permanent monitoring
10. The rate of poverty is reduced 10%.
11. More children are happier.
12. There is an increase in prevention and harm reduction programs across Canada.
13. Bill C – 25 is now on the agenda and government has started a consultation on youth strategies.
14. The United Nations has recognized the problem and followed up, making Canada a leader in human rights issues of children.
15. The private and corporate sectorare engaged
16. There are more youth are participating in the NCA.
17. There are more Aboriginal MP’s.
18. More maternity and & paternity benefits are announced.
19. There is increased northern access to services has been committed to included baby’s born in their own community.

• Election strategy and tool kit for grass roots children’s issues
• Skills inventory – the who will deliver the advocacy
• 6 month report back to membership
• Identify people in provinces and territories to be involved
• Conduct 2 regional meetings and have NCA members invited (Cindy’s training session)
• Members to provide information to build possible and positive ideas
• Develop a position (NCA in National Action Plan and CST and communicate this
• Expand NCA Aboriginal working group and youth
• NCA hold workshop of CST to develop an advocacy action plan
• Report on monitoring progress

1. Share all presentations and the proceedings
2. Summarize proceedings into the next NCA newsletter
3. Develop NCA campaign platform
4. Identify core competencies of members, make a list of tasks that need to be done, and ask members to volunteer
5. Inventory members’ individual / personal contacts for purposes of taking advantage of the upcoming federal election
6. Develop fact sheets
7. Everyone to sign the petition and move it forward in their respective organizations and networks
8. Continually promote the value of the NCA and its members