EN :

This slam poem is a reflection on 150-plus years of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls in Canada and how this has affected Indigenous and non-Indigenous children, youth, and families.

EN :

Aboriginal adults with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) face multiple barriers to services that did not exist in their childhood, yet they still cope with the same FASD-related cognitive issues that they experienced in childhood. Considerable effort is directed to research on children with FASD, but little research on adults with FASD. Furthermore, research on the population of Canada that is generalized to Aboriginal people is neither effective nor ethical. This literature review focuses on Aboriginal adults with FASD, specifically looking at criminal recidivism rates, the stigma attached to an FASD diagnosis, lack of support services, and the ongoing effects of intergenerational trauma. Future qualitative research is suggested to focus on adulthood and aging with FASD, and on helpful interventions.

EN :

The grade 3/4 and grade 7 class at Ross Drive Public School worked together to learn about treaties, Shannen Koostachin, and Shannen’s Dream. The students were asked to think about what a safe and comfy education might look like and why it is unfair that Shannen Koostachin had to fight for this right. This poem reflects what two students, Hamza and Yuktha, learnt.

EN :

This article considers how increased access to communications technology could improve the lives of Indigenous peoples in Quebec. The authors describe the digital divide between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in Quebec with respect to the speed, reliability, and cost of communications infrastructure, and how existing barriers can be overcome. The authors describe some ways in which the use of technology has already been incorporated by Indigenous communities to support education and healthcare, and how bridging the digital divide can be a tool to increase access to these fundamental services. Although technology is not a panacea, it has the potential, if implemented in accordance with Indigenous values, traditions, and goals, to empower Indigenous communities, particularly those in remote regions of Quebec, and alleviate some of the difficulties associated with accessing education and healthcare.

EN :

The grade 3/4 and grade 7 class at Ross Drive Public School worked together to learn about treaties, Shannen Koostachin, and Shannen’s Dream. The students were asked to think about what a safe and comfy education might look like and why it is unfair that Shannen Koostachin had to fight for this right. This poem reflects what one student, Aliya, learnt.

EN :

Family enhancement is an approach to child protection that has been recommended by numerous reviews of child welfare practice. A recent example emerged from a comprehensive review of the child welfare system in Manitoba, Canada. The inquiry recommended that family enhancement be utilised in all child welfare cases, and be funded at levels reasonable enough to allow comprehensive support for families seeking to re-unify. Agency staff told the inquiry, however, that current resources permitted only limited service, for insufficient time, and for only a small percentage of families in care.

An Indigenous agency in Manitoba, Metis Child, Family, and Community Services, has devised an innovative approach in which parents were fostered along with their children. This allows the agency to make a wide range of resources available to families on a 24-hour basis for 8-to-12-month periods. The costs do not appear to exceed those of regular fostering of children.

This Live-In Family Enhancement (LIFE) program was extensively evaluated in 2015. The findings show a significant set of benefits to families such as stronger attachment between parents and children, improved parenting skills for caregivers, strengthened social support for families, newly acquired household management skills, successful completion of employment training, and significantly improved trust in social workers and the agency. Many of these factors are correlated, in research, with increased rates of family reunification. The paper documents these findings, and recommends that this approach be expanded for use in prevention as well as reunification.

FR :

Cette transcription a été initialement prononcée en français par Katalina Toth pour d’art oratoire, un concours d’expression publique organisée par l’Association des écoles privées du Québec. Katalina Toth est étudiante à The Sacred Heart School of Montreal. Une liste des références utilisées pour la recherche de ce discours est fournie à ceux qui voudraient en savoir plus sur les avis d’ébullition de l’eau dans les réserves et d’autres injustices semblables.

EN :

This speech transcription was originally delivered in French by Katalina Toth for Art Oratoire, a public speaking competition organized by the Quebec Association of Independent Schools. Katalina Toth is a student at The Sacred Heart School of Montreal. A list of references used to research this speech is provided for those who would like to learn more about the on-reserve boil water advisories and other similar injustices.