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THE RIGHT TO BE HEARD: A SPECIAL REPORT ON THE MANITOBA ADVOCATE FOR CHILDREN AND YOUTH’S YOUTH LISTENING TOUR, 2021
The Right to Be Heard is a special report featuring the thoughts and opinions of hundreds of Manitoba youth who discussed community issues and proposed solutions for a better future. The findings come from a province-wide Youth Listening Tour and online survey, which were hosted by staff from the Manitoba Advocate for Children and Youth (MACY) in 2020. The purpose of the Youth Listening Tour was to raise awareness of children’s rights while also gathering information about the challenges, priorities, and solutions youth identify in their communities and beyond.
Youth raised a variety of diverse, but often related issues they face in their communities, including substance use, mental health and well being, poverty, violence, and racism and discrimination. Overwhelmingly, youth spoke about the need for more investments in accessible mental health and addictions programs and the need for more recreational activities that provide healthy opportunities and community belonging.
This special report presents governments and decision-makers in Manitoba with the opportunity to hear the voices of youth and let these contributions guide them to make informed decisions about their strategic priorities and funding.
We are always here to listen. If you are a youth that did not get a chance to participate in the Listening Tour and would like to share your thoughts, please take our survey
Youth Ambassador Advisory Squad unveils The Re-Right Project, with first of 42 murals dedicated to children’s rights
MEDIA RELEASE
WINNIPEG, TREATY ONE TERRITORY, HOME OF THE METIS NATION – The Manitoba Advocate for Children and Youth’s Youth Ambassador Advisory Squad (YAAS!) has revealed the first of 42 planned murals dedicated to children’s rights, all of which will be located throughout Manitoba.
For more than a year, YAAS! has been hard at work developing The Re-Right Project. This youth-led initiative will see 42 murals go up around the province, with each mural depicting a specific child’s right as laid out under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). YAAS! hopes the project will lead to more public awareness about child and youth rights.
“I think a mural catches your eye quicker. You’re choosing to look at it because it’s pretty and it’ll educate anyone who looks at it,” said Sophia Stang, who co-led the project for YAAS!.
YAAS! is a group of youth ages 14-22, who were brought together through the Manitoba Advocate for Children and Youth office. The group aims to amplify youth voices in the province and ensure youth perspectives are being heard at decision-making tables. The Re-Right Project was an idea brought forward by a young artist, who participated in YAAS!.
“It’s important for youth to lead their own projects and have a say in what they’re doing because, after all, it’s more rewarding and gives us experience,” said Rose Fontaine, one of the YAAS! project co-leads. (more…)
Breaking the Cycle: An Update on the Use of Segregation and Solitary Confinement in Manitoba Youth Custody Facilities
Since our 2019 report, Learning from Nelson Mandela, the Manitoba Advocate has closely monitored the use of segregation and solitary confinement in Manitoba youth custody facilities. This special report found that solitary confinement continues.
We found that in 2020, a higher proportion of youth in custody were subjected to solitary confinement (1-14 days at a time) and prolonged solitary confinement (15 days and longer at a time) and for longer periods of time than in 2019. Higher rates of segregation reflect the additional COVID-19 pandemic protocols that require all youth to be isolated for 14 days upon admission.
Concerningly, conditions of segregation are similar whether youth are being isolated due to safety concerns or because of public health measures. Our analysis details that most youth segregated were identified as male and as Indigenous. More than sixty per cent had known mental health challenges. This report highlights the voices of youth who experienced segregation and the experiences of senior-level staff at Manitoba Justice, all of who say more mental health and cultural supports are needed inside youth custody facilities. The Manitoba Advocate again calls for an end to solitary confinement of youth over 24 hours, changes in the law to further restrict segregation under 24 hours, and for investments in trauma-informed and culturally-appropriate care for youth in custody.
