C2Y: Discussions on Child and Youth Care

Hiring Care is an audio drama inquiry created from one-on-one conversations with 10 child and youth care practitioners (CYCPs) “from care” (CYCPfC). Most of the script is verbatim, meaning the words spoken by the actors are (mostly) re-enactments of what CYCPfC said in the conversations. The conversations have been re-arranged and different CYCPfC have been put into relationships with each other, even though they never actually spoke with each other during the recorded conversations. Three of the characters (B, Ellisha, and Terri) are composites of two different people.

Hiring Care is constructed as a conversation between a group of seven CYCPs “from care” (CYCPfC) who are meeting to talk about creating a way to support agencies who want to hire practitioners with child welfare experience. This frame for the structure came out of an idea mentioned by one of the conversationalists (Charlotte), who said she and some of her colleagues “wanted to create a booklet about how to support someone with lived experience in care in your organization, who works for you”. Hiring Carehas seven different episodes, each one introduced by a different character and addressing different themes, although there are some overlaps between the different episodes.

While the script follows a chronological order, it is not necessary to listen to them in a particular order. You might find it more relevant to pick specific themes (identified with each episode) and listen to that particular conversation.

To learn more about the project, please visit www.TuningIntoCYC.org

Charlie challenges the group to think beyond their understandings regarding the benefits of being from care, and pushes the white CYCPfC to think of the cultural costs for Indigenous and other racialized young people incurred by going into child protection services.

Hiring Care is an audio drama inquiry created from one-on-one conversations with 10 child and youth care practitioners (CYCPs) “from care” (CYCPfC). Most of the script is verbatim, meaning the words spoken by the actors are (mostly) re-enactments of what CYCPfC said in the conversations. The conversations have been re-arranged and different CYCPfC have been put into relationships with each other, even though they never actually spoke with each other during the recorded conversations. Three of the characters (B, Ellisha, and Terri) are composites of two different people.

Hiring Care is constructed as a conversation between a group of seven CYCPs “from care” (CYCPfC) who are meeting to talk about creating a way to support agencies who want to hire practitioners with child welfare experience. This frame for the structure came out of an idea mentioned by one of the conversationalists (Charlotte), who said she and some of her colleagues “wanted to create a booklet about how to support someone with lived experience in care in your organization, who works for you”. Hiring Carehas seven different episodes, each one introduced by a different character and addressing different themes, although there are some overlaps between the different episodes.

While the script follows a chronological order, it is not necessary to listen to them in a particular order. You might find it more relevant to pick specific themes (identified with each episode) and listen to that particular conversation.

To learn more about the project, please visit www.TuningIntoCYC.org

Leela and Terri have an uncomfortable conversation after Terri reaches out to Leela asking for help to “diversify” the group of CYCP from care.

Hiring Care is an audio drama inquiry created from one-on-one conversations with 10 child and youth care practitioners (CYCPs) “from care” (CYCPfC). Most of the script is verbatim, meaning the words spoken by the actors are (mostly) re-enactments of what CYCPfC said in the conversations. The conversations have been re-arranged and different CYCPfC have been put into relationships with each other, even though they never actually spoke with each other during the recorded conversations. Three of the characters (B, Ellisha, and Terri) are composites of two different people.

Hiring Care is constructed as a conversation between a group of seven CYCPs “from care” (CYCPfC) who are meeting to talk about creating a way to support agencies who want to hire practitioners with child welfare experience. This frame for the structure came out of an idea mentioned by one of the conversationalists (Charlotte), who said she and some of her colleagues “wanted to create a booklet about how to support someone with lived experience in care in your organization, who works for you”. Hiring Carehas seven different episodes, each one introduced by a different character and addressing different themes, although there are some overlaps between the different episodes.

While the script follows a chronological order, it is not necessary to listen to them in a particular order. You might find it more relevant to pick specific themes (identified with each episode) and listen to that particular conversation.

To learn more about the project, please visit www.TuningIntoCYC.org

The group finds common ground identifying the many ways they felt failed by their time in the child welfare system.

Hiring Care is an audio drama inquiry created from one-on-one conversations with 10 child and youth care practitioners (CYCPs) “from care” (CYCPfC). Most of the script is verbatim, meaning the words spoken by the actors are (mostly) re-enactments of what CYCPfC said in the conversations. The conversations have been re-arranged and different CYCPfC have been put into relationships with each other, even though they never actually spoke with each other during the recorded conversations. Three of the characters (B, Ellisha, and Terri) are composites of two different people.

Hiring Care is constructed as a conversation between a group of seven CYCPs “from care” (CYCPfC) who are meeting to talk about creating a way to support agencies who want to hire practitioners with child welfare experience. This frame for the structure came out of an idea mentioned by one of the conversationalists (Charlotte), who said she and some of her colleagues “wanted to create a booklet about how to support someone with lived experience in care in your organization, who works for you”. Hiring Carehas seven different episodes, each one introduced by a different character and addressing different themes, although there are some overlaps between the different episodes.

While the script follows a chronological order, it is not necessary to listen to them in a particular order. You might find it more relevant to pick specific themes (identified with each episode) and listen to that particular conversation.

To learn more about the project, please visit www.TuningIntoCYC.org

In their first conversation as a group, 5 child and youth care practitioners from care (CYCPfC) talk about trying to work in the same system that raised them. After some awkward moments, the group seeks common ground through identifying the challenges of being in care and the wisdom/benefits they take into their work.

Themes/Key words: Identity, Empathy, Compassion, Trauma

In this episode Wolfgang Vachon says goodbye as host of CYC Podcast. He also talks about the new team taking over the podcast : Vivian Patruno, Salvatore D’Agatstino, and Christopher Cottle; and introduces a new audio drama inquiry called Hiring Care.

What happens when you work in the same system that raised you? Charlotte, a new CYCP “from care”, struggles to understand what care means when your lived experience wasn’t always full of care.

Hiring Care is an audio drama inquiry created from one-on-one conversations with 10 child and youth care practitioners (CYCPs) “from care” (CYCPfC). Most of the script is verbatim, meaning the words spoken by the actors are (mostly) re-enactments of what CYCPfC said in the conversations. The conversations have been re-arranged and different CYCPfC have been put into relationships with each other, even though they never actually spoke with each other during the recorded conversations. Three of the characters (B, Ellisha, and Terri) are composites of two different people.

Hiring Care is constructed as a conversation between a group of seven CYCPs “from care” (CYCPfC) who are meeting to talk about creating a way to support agencies who want to hire practitioners with child welfare experience. This frame for the structure came out of an idea mentioned by one of the conversationalists (Charlotte), who said she and some of her colleagues “wanted to create a booklet about how to support someone with lived experience in care in your organization, who works for you”. Hiring Carehas seven different episodes, each one introduced by a different character and addressing different themes, although there are some overlaps between the different episodes.

While the script follows a chronological order, it is not necessary to listen to them in a particular order. You might find it more relevant to pick specific themes (identified with each episode) and listen to that particular conversation.

To learn more about the project, please visit www.TuningIntoCYC.org

On this episode, Salvatore, talks with #RisingYouth Alumni Mia Otokiak, who organized a a workshop series celebrating the ecology of the Arctic, Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit, and youth leadership. We learn about the importance of plankton and marine mammals in the arctic maritime food chain.  

On this episode, Vivian Patruno, Host of the CYC Podcast, talks with #RisingYouth Alumni Rebecca Gibbons, who created The Neighbourhood Story Project, in which residents in Ottawa's Sandy Hill neighourhood, were invited to record a 2-5 minute audio story of their experiences living during the COVID-19 pandemic to promote community solidarity and connection during social distancing. 

This episode is a recording of a Child and Youth Care graduate school information panel that took place November 30, 2021. Graduate school programs were represented by Natasha Blanchet-Cohen from Concordia University’s Graduate Diploma in Youth Work; Graham McPheat from the University of Strathclyde’s MSc in Child and Youth Care Studies; Alison Gerlach from the University of Victoria’s Masters and PhD programs in Child, Youth, Family and Community Studies; and Julian Hasford from the University formally known as Ryerson’s MA in Child and Youth Care.

We only recorded the faculty presentations. This was done to allow student presenters to speak freely about their educational experiences both good and not so great. Student presenters included Crystal Harrison, Caroline Moore, Emily Hellard, Wolfgang Vachon, and Juanita Stephen. If you would like to see a video of the presentation, you can go to CYC-Net.org.

To learn more about the programs discussed please visit:

Concordia University

University of Strathclyde

University of Victoria

x-University

In this episode A. Longoria talks about “identity-sustaining practices” in Child and Youth Care, education, and academia. They begin by asking how can/do queer, trans, IBPOC educators & CYCPs remain who they are within and across the spaces they work, so that practitioners and educators can help those they work with remain who they are. In response, A. Longoria discusses corporality, aesthetics, identity, and queering the norms of practice inside the classroom and out in the world.

To read the article this conversation refers to visit: https://journals.uvic.ca/index.php/ijcyfs/article/view/20343

To purchase their newest book Creating a Home in Schools: Sustaining Identities for Black, Indigenous, and Teachers of Color please visit:

https://www.tcpress.com/creating-a-home-in-schools-9780807765265 (USA)

Wolfgang speaks with Audrey Wolfe and Mattie Walker about the recently published special issue of the International Journal of Child, youth, and Family Studies titled Possibilities, Futures, and Queer World-Making in CYC. This is the first queer themed special issue in any CYC journal. Audrey and Mattie speak about how the issue came about, some of the pieces published, and why they think there is a need for such a focused issue.

The journal can be found at https://journals.uvic.ca/index.php/ijcyfs/issue/view/1518