马会论坛

This event took place on June 14, 2022.

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Hosted in partnership with the .

During the COVID-19 pandemic, attention and resources were placed overwhelmingly on protecting older populations. In doing so, the interests and needs of children and youth were sidelined. Disruptions to school food programs and a lack of access to safe places to play or gather, for example, have likely left some children in a more precarious situation than before the pandemic.听

Children and youth continue to face complex barriers to realizing their rights and experiencing well-being. The impacts of poverty, trauma, and hopelessness are evidenced in the bodies and minds of children and youth. The causes of these problems, however, are rooted in systemic shortcomings of social policy, interventions for which are necessary at multiple levels.听

In this panel, thought leaders will engage with the findings emerging out of a recent comprehensive report on the status of child and youth well-being in Nova Scotia. Panelists will highlight the most pressing issues facing young people in Nova Scotia which undermine their well-being and discuss policy shifts which could result in their experiencing the benefits of rights realizations during their one chance to be a child.听

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About the Speakers

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Lisa Lachance

Lisa Lachance (they/them; she/her) is the MLA for Halifax Citadel--Sable Island, first elected in August 2021

Lisa holds a BA with Honours in International Development Studies and a Masters of Public Administration, both from 马会论坛. They are still a student of 马会论坛, as a PhD Candidate in Health, looking at emergent models of youth mental health services.

Between 2013-2019, Lisa led the national project Wisdom2Action on behalf of 马会论坛. She led its successful transition from government-supported network to independent social enterprise.

Lisa鈥檚 constituency is located in Mi鈥檏ma鈥檏i, the unceded ancestral territory of the L鈥檔u people.

Christian Whalen

Christian Whalen is a native of Fredericton and holds degrees from Carleton University (BA 鈥�87); the University of New Brunswick (LLB 鈥�89) and from l'Universit茅 de Strasbourg III (D.E.A. 鈥�92). Following his call to the bar, Christian worked as a lawyer in private practice and as legal counsel to the New Brunswick Human Rights Commission before joining the Office of the Ombudsman in 2005.

He has been responsible for systemic investigations and acted as lead investigator on several reports of Ombudsman and the Child and Youth Advocate. He was also the project lead on the Advocate's annual听State of our Children and Youth听reports and annual听Children鈥檚 Rights and Well-being Framework.

He served as Acting Child and Youth Advocate for New Brunswick from April 1, 2011 to August 1, 2013, during which he developed an International Summer Course on child rights, a child rights data monitoring framework and a child rights impact assessment process for New Brunswick. He served as founding chair of the Canadian Bar Association鈥檚 National Sections Council Committee on Children鈥檚 Law and initiated the development of their online Child rights toolkit.

In 2014 he received the Children鈥檚 Rights Champion Award from the Canadian Coalition for the Rights of Children and in 2015 was awarded the John Tait Award for distinguished service as public sector counsel by the Canadian Bar Association.

Dr. Laura Stymiest

Laura Stymiest is a paediatrician working in emergency medicine at the IWK Health Centre. After finishing a masters in Children鈥檚 Law and Policy in 2021, Laura was appointed Director of advocacy for children and youth within 马会论坛鈥檚 Dept of Pediatrics.

Since 2018, Laura has co-led the development of the first One Chance to Be a Child report.

Jason Atsiaq Gass-Lachance

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Jason Atsiaq Gass-Lachance was born in Iqaluit and raised in Ottawa and Halifax. He graduated from Bedford Forsyth Education Centre in 2021. He has been involved with the Adventure Earth Centre, the Young Canadian鈥檚 Parliament, Wisdom2Action youth teams, the Nova Scotia NDP, and has run his own bike repair business.听

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Jack Baker

Jack Baker is a Citadel High graduate, born and raised in Halifax. He plans to study political science at the University of Toronto in the fall. Jack is involved as a youth leader in CISV Halifax and Scouts Canada, and has previous experience with the Nova Scotia NDP, the YMCA Community Action Network, the Brunswick St. Mission, and the HRM Youth Team. In his spare time Jack enjoys spending time with his family and dog, as well as traveling.听

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Dr. Sara Kirk (moderator)

Dr. Sara Kirk is a Professor of Health Promotion, Faculty of Health, Scientific Director, Healthy Populations Institute, and MIPP Founding Fellow at 马会论坛. Her research explores ways to create supportive environments for chronic disease prevention through policy and systems change. She is one of the lead authors of the 鈥淥ne Chance To Be A Child鈥� well-being data profile and co-lead of the UpLift Partnership, which engages youth in creating healthy school communities.听

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