Thank you!

We are deeply grateful to our incredible supporters who played a pivotal role in making this year’s Giving Tuesday a tremendous success.

Your generosity and unwavering dedication to our mission are truly inspiring. Together, we are making a meaningful difference in the lives of children and youth across Canada.

In the coming weeks, we look forward to sharing updates on the impact of your contributions and how they are helping us advance our mission. Thank you for being an essential part of this journey. Your support makes all the difference.

Participants Needed for Food Insecurity Study

Share your voice and help promote food justice in Ontario!

Exacerbated Hunger: Addressing Racialized Food Insecurity in the Era of COVID-19 (REB# 24-08-003) is seeking research participants to share their thoughts and experiences around racialized food insecurity and the COVID-19 pandemic. The project is specifically interested in the perspectives of three communities: 1) food justice activists and organizers, 2) foodbank employees and volunteers, and 3) racialized community members who use, or have used, food aid services.

If you identify as one of the above groups and 1) have supported or accessed food aid services for at least three months in the last five years; 2) are 16 or older; 3) live in The Greater Toronto-Hamilton Area or Tri-Cities-Guelph (Central Southern Ontario); 4) can communicate in English; and 5) have access to the internet or a phone, please consider registering.

You will be asked to participate in an (approximately) 60-minute interview, which will likely take place over Zoom (but can be done by phone if needed). 3-4 interviewees from each group will also be invited to participate in an optional filmmaking workshop in the Spring of 2025. Depending on participants’ access needs and availability, the workshop will take place either in person during a three-day workshop in Toronto, the GTHA, or Guelph or in a combined online, in-person workshop format.

Interview participants will be provided with a $30 honorarium for their time. Workshop participants will be provided with a $140 honorarium, plus local travel costs (and additional travel costs for racialized food aid users).

 If you are interested in the study, please complete the following form: https://forms.office.com/r/dzTXXcYYC4.

 If you have any questions, please get in touch with Naty Tremblay, Graduate Student Assistant, at natytrem@uoguelph.ca or Dr Jade Da Costa, Project lead, at jdacos02@uoguelph.ca.

 Food is political. Food is Love. Food is the future.

 The project is funded by SSHRC through their Insight Development Grant program.

This Giving Tuesday, Support The Sandbox Project

Join us in creating a brighter, healthier future for children and youth across Canada. At The Sandbox Project, we’re dedicated to improving the health and well-being of young people, and your support makes all the difference.

Here’s how you can help:
💙 Donate: Your generosity funds vital initiatives that tackle children’s health challenges. To do so, please visit: https://shorturl.at/6hsic
💙 Share: Spread the word and inspire others to support our mission. Every share counts!
💙 Get Involved: Partner with us or join our amazing community of changemakers.

Together, we can continue to advance innovative solutions and foster collaboration to ensure that every child in Canada has the opportunity to thrive.

We are now on Instagram!

We’re thrilled to announce that The Sandbox Project has joined Instagram! As part of our mission to improve the health and well-being of children and youth across Canada, we’re expanding our online presence to share more stories, connect with our community, and inspire action.

Follow us at @sandbox.project to stay connected and help spread the word about the work we do. Together, we can continue to build a healthier, more supportive environment for children and youth across Canada.

National Child Day with UNICEF Canada

To celebrate National Child Day (November 20th) UNICEF Canada is hosting the sixth annual Youth Advocacy Summit in Ottawa in partnership with BGC Canada, Equitas, Jack.org, the National Reconciliation Program at Save the Children Canada, Plan Canada, the Students Commission of Canada and YMCA Canada.  The Honourable Jenna Sudds, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development; the Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of International Development; Bob Rae, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Canada to the United Nations in New York; and Rosemary Barton, CBC’s Chief Political Correspondent will also be joining the event from 12:30 to 1:30 pm EST.

 On behalf of youth advocates who have co-developed the program, UNICEF Canada invites you to hear directly from young people about their ideas and recommendations on Education, Healthcare, Mental Health and Racism and Discrimination. Youth advocates will also launch the 2024 Reimagine Playbook and discuss ideas around how the megatrends of climate crisis, disruptive technologies and demographic change will impact their futures.

To register for the event, please click here

UNICEF Report Card 18 shows Canada must do much more to address child poverty

Original Source: https://www.unicef.ca/en/unicef-report-card-18

WHAT IS THE UNICEF REPORT CARD?

UNICEF Report Cards measure child and youth well-being in wealthy countries.

Report Card 18 compares levels of child poverty in the richest countries; the progress they have been making to end child poverty; and how well their policies protect every child from poverty.

Child poverty has increased in Canada for the first time in many years. The poverty rate has risen more sharply for children than for other Canadians. After years of progress, Canada is still a middle performer among rich countries for its current rate of child poverty, ranking 19th. As a rich country with one of the greatest increases in wealth over the past decade, Canada can aim higher. At a time when the pandemic’s impacts continue to weigh heavily on children, Canada must act with urgency to protect children from poverty.

There are effective and affordable steps to finish the job. Leaving children in poverty is a choice.

To read the Report card, please click here

Raising Canada 2024 Report is now Available!

Children First Canada’s annual Raising Canada 2024 report is out, and it’s a must-read for anyone who cares about the future of our kids.

This year’s report shines a light on the top 10 threats facing children in Canada—from mental health to online harms—and calls for urgent action to turn things around.

To Read the Report: https://childrenfirstcanada.org/campaign/raising-canada/

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Raising Canada

Original Source: https://childrenfirstcanada.org/campaign/raising-canada/

Launched in 2018, Raising Canada is an annual series of research reports on the state of the nation’s children. The report tracks the top 10 threats to childhood and highlights emerging threats like technology misuse and cross-cutting themes like access to healthcare and social services, and active youth engagement. For more than a decade, the quality of life of children in Canada has been on the decline. Canada ranks 66th on the global Kids Rights Index, and 30th out of 38 affluent nations for protecting the well-being of children. As a country, we have been going in the wrong direction for far too long.

A Generation is Falling Behind: The time to act is now. Our children deserve nothing less.

Raising Canada 2024 highlights that the state of childhood in Canada has reached a breaking point. The research finds that the top 10 threats to childhood are escalating, with children’s quality of life in Canada demonstrably worsening. The data also reveals that equity-deserving children and youth are disproportionately impacted by the top 10 threats – including young First Nations, Métis and Inuit children, people from racialized communities, 2SLGBTQIA+ youth and young people with disabilities.

The report includes an urgent call for policymakers to address and overcome these pressing issues. It also calls on community leaders to recognize the value of youth engagement as a critical element of creating and implementing solutions to complex social issues, and it urges all Canadians to play a role in standing up for kids.

Calls to Action

The following Calls to Action are a direct response to the findings in the Raising Canada report. They have been endorsed by Children First Canada’s Council of Champions, and developed with the input of children and youth from the Young Canadians’ Parliament:

1. Lead For and With Kids: Establish a Federal Commissioner for Children and Youth, develop a National Strategy for Children and Youth, and develop a national Data Strategy on the health and well-being of young Canadians.

2. Invest in Kids: Launch a Catalytic Investment Fund for Children over the next 4 years and publish a Children’s Budget.

3. Raise Them With Rights: Support child rights education and provide children and youth with a platform to exercise their rights as leaders of today and tomorrow.

Beyond these overarching Calls to Action, the Raising Canada 2024 report includes specific recommendations for policy change and community-based responses to each of the top 10 threats to childhood. These require immediate attention and resources to create meaningful change.

But the responsibility does not rest solely on the shoulders of federal leaders. Every Canadian has a role to play in ensuring a brighter future for our children. Parents, grandparents, teachers, business leaders, faith communities, sports organizations, and even the children themselves—each of us has the power to make a difference. We cannot afford to wait for others to lead the way. We must look within ourselves, imagine a better future for our children, and take concrete steps today to make it possible.

The time to act is now. Our children deserve nothing less.

Become a Parachute Youth Road Safety Ambassador

Original Source: https://parachute.ca/en/program/youth-road-safety/youth-ambassadors/

Do you care about road safety and want to make a difference in your community? Do you want to learn new skills and get some financial support for your initiative? Parachute is offering grants to young leaders in Canada who are committed to making a difference by raising awareness of road safety issues and advocating for changes that will make roads safer for all.

About the Parachute Youth Road Safety Ambassadors program

By joining the Youth Ambassadors program, you will be putting your skills and creativity into action to create solutions for road safety issues affecting youth in your community. Each ambassador will receive a grant of $600 to fund a local youth-led project that:

• Identifies a local road safety issue

• Raises awareness and/or identifies potential solutions for resolving the issue

• Partners with a local organization

• Creates a proposal to community influencers (e.g. local government, enforcement, school administration) to advocate for the issue

Some areas of road safety on which you can build your project include:

• pedestrian, bicycle and wheeled safety

• road design and infrastructure

• equity and accessibility in road safety

• safe, sustainable cities, and climate change

• driving behaviour (speeding, impaired driving or distracted driving)

Parachute’s Youth Ambassadors program lets young leaders take charge in road safety. You can get creative with your project and team up with local groups such as businesses, schools or police departments to make a real impact.

Parachute will not only fund your projects but also train you in project management, communication and outreach. You’ll get an activity guide, virtual orientation and webinars to sharpen your skills, plus support from Parachute’s team of experts.

Your projects can be focus on community engagement, advocacy or a combination of both. See below for some examples.

Examples of community engagement projects

• Social media campaigns: create and share posts, stories or videos on social media that raise awareness on an important road safety issue in your community and generate a conversation on your selected topic.

• Host a youth forum: host an event where youth share their thoughts on photos and videos of different roadways in your local community and share their own ideas for solutions to address road safety issues in your community.

• Collect data: do a survey with your peers around your selected topic or take videos and pictures of the problem area in your community to highlight a specific road safety issue.

Examples of road safety advocacy projects

• Engage local policymakers and government representatives: advocate for changes in policy and improvements to roads and sidewalks in your community (e.g. traffic calming measures, reduced speeds, adding a bike lane) through a letter writing campaign, community-wide petitions or by organizing a townhall or one-on-one meeting.

• Positive ticketing blitzes: in collaboration with local law enforcement partners, encourage and reward positive driving habits by providing positive tickets that are tied to an incentive such as a gift card draw, a small treat or freebies.

• Set up an interview with your local news outlet: contact your local newspaper, radio station or television network to share you and your peers’ personal stories, statistics and information about the road safety issues that are impacting your communities.

Benefits of joining the Youth Ambassadors program

• Make a difference in your community by raising awareness about road safety, promoting safe behaviours, and advocating for better roads and sidewalks.

• Grow your leadership and project management skills by leading your own road safety campaign.

• Get training and mentorship from Parachute staff to help develop your road safety projects.

• Build connections with community partners such as youth organizations, schools, businesses and law enforcement.

• Gain valuable experience to add to your resumé by planning and running a community-focused initiative.

• Become a key voice in road safety conversations and decisions.

• Join a network of youth leaders and road safety advocates, such as the Canadian Youth Road Safety Council.

Eligibility

To apply, you need to be a young person, or a group of young people aged 15 to 24, living in Canada (citizen, permanent resident or refugee). You must be passionate about promoting road safety and making a positive impact. The projects must be youth-led and done in Canada. You’ll need to partner with a local organization, such as a non-profit, school or police department. Only individual youth or groups of youth can apply for these grants, not organizations, and only the main applicant(s) need to meet the eligibility requirements.

Grant amount

Each grant is $600 and you can use it to run road safety activities at your school, post-secondary institution or in your community.

You can use the grant for:

• Paying fees or honorariums for youth leads, speakers and facilitators

• Buying materials and supplies such as posters, flyers, banners, or apparel

• Getting tech equipment such as VR headsets and video gear

• Licensing software such as Zoom and Canva Pro

• Covering local travel costs for getting to event sites

• Giving out prizes or giveaways such as gift cards and promo items

• Making activities more accessible with translation or interpretation

You can’t use the grant for:

• Costs before or after the grant period

• Fundraising or charity donations

• Personal expenses such as meals, or entertainment

• Anything not related to the road safety project

Honorarium

One hundred dollars of the grant amount are to be divided among team members as honorariums for your hard work and participation.

Application

To apply. please click here

Deadline is Wednesday October 9, 2024.

The Sandbox Project Welcomes New Fractional CEO to Lead Next Phase of Growth

The Board of Directors of The Sandbox Project is thrilled to announce that Julie O'Driscoll, a distinguished public affairs and communications professional, has joined The Sandbox Project as our new Fractional CEO. Julie's extensive background in strategic advisory roles, media relations, and advocacy uniquely positions her to lead our organization as we continue to advance our mission of improving the health and well-being of Canadian children. Julie is a Principal at GT & Co., an executive advisory consultancy firm based in Toronto.

 “I am excited to welcome Julie as our new Fractional CEO. Her expertise in public affairs and her commitment to impactful causes make her the ideal leader to guide The Sandbox Project into its next chapter,” said Terrie-Lynne Devonish, Chair of the Board of Directors. “I am confident that Julie's leadership will drive our mission forward with renewed vigor and innovation.”

Julie has demonstrated leadership and a deep dedication to important causes throughout her career. Her experience includes advising senior federal and Ontario cabinet ministers, as well as orchestrating high-profile communications strategies across both public and private sectors. Julie is also active in charitable fundraising for causes that are important to her.

Julie holds a Communication Studies degree from the University of Texas at Austin and a Master’s degree in Broadcast Journalism from Boston University. Her practical experience, coupled with her dedication to making a meaningful impact, aligns perfectly with The Sandbox Project’s mission to champion the health and development of children across Canada. As a former Division I collegiate athlete, Julie learned the value of commitment and leadership—skills she not only applies in her role as a volunteer high school coach but also strives to instill in her three children, whom she is dedicated to raising in a healthy, safe environment that values the benefits of sports and active living. We look forward to the new heights The Sandbox Project will reach under Julie’s leadership.

We also wish to extend our deepest gratitude to Christine Hampson for her remarkable leadership and steadfast dedication during her tenure as Fractional CEO of the Sandbox Project. Christine’s visionary guidance over the past thirteen years has been instrumental in shaping The Sandbox Project’s success and impact. We extend our best wishes and express our profound appreciation for Christine’s invaluable contributions, which have left a lasting legacy for our organization. Her efforts have set a strong foundation for The Sandbox Project’s future successes.

Unstructured Outdoor Play and Risky Play- What is the Difference?

Source: Parachute Canada

Link: https://shorturl.at/OUBK1

When your child plays outdoors, they move more and sit less, especially when they are allowed to play in their neighbourhood without an adult directly supervising. This helps your child figure out how to get around, gain independence and spend more time playing with friends.

Play in natural environments can be especially beneficial because it is full of loose materials (e.g,. sand, sticks, water, mud) that your child can use to let their imagination and creativity shape play, as well as help them appreciate nature. 

Such play also develops environmental awareness, teaches navigation skills, and strengthens motor fitness and abilities.

The likelihood of serious injury resulting from play is low and the benefits of playing outside generally far outweigh the risks.

Hazard vs risk

Focus on managing hazards, while allowing your child to explore risks.

Hazard

An item or situation where the source of harm isn’t obvious to your child; the potential for injury is hidden, such as with a broken railing.

Risk

A situation where your child can recognize and evaluate the challenge and decide on a course of action (e.g., climbing a tree).

Risky play

Risky play is defined as thrilling and exciting play where your child is uncertain of the outcome and can include the possibility of physical injury. Risky play promotes physical activity, social health and risk-management skills. 

Types of risky play include:

• Play at height, speed, near dangerous elements, such as water or fire.

• Play with potentially dangerous tools.

• Rough-and-tumble play (e.g., play fighting).

• Play where there’s the potential for disappearing or getting lost.

Risk changes over time as your child moves through developmental milestones and gains more experience with the world. What is risky at one age becomes no risk or minimal risk when your child is older.

Risky play can look different for different children, depending on their abilities and interests: getting “lost” for a toddler could be a hidey hole in some bushes, where an older child could wander the neighbourhood with friends.

To learn more and review additional resources, please click here

Be the First to Try New Youth Mental Health Support Tool created by the Faculty of Health, Dalhousie University!

For the past year, a team at the Faculty of Health at Dalhousie University has been building a digital tool to support youth mental health in Canada. The team is now seeking youth between the ages of 11 and 18 to try out the new tool and provide feedback. Here’s your chance to use your voice to make a difference!

After reviewing the tool, participants will complete a short 10-minute survey and a follow-up 30-minute interview at a time of their choosing. As a thank-you for their time, you will receive a $25 Amazon gift card.

If you or someone you know is interested in making a valuable impact on youth mental health, please reach out to Dr. Stephana Julia Moss at sj.moss@dal.ca. Your insights can help us create a tool that truly supports young people in managing their mental health.