National Child Day 2025: Access to Education for Youth with Care Experience

Описание: On November 20, 2025, a team of researchers and their community partners hosted a panel discussion & community exhibit to commemorate the National Day of the Child and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, and highlight the barriers to access education and highlight the ways we can build better paths forward.

This public event was meant to showcase the pivotal role of social workers, educators, post-secondary institutions, and community organizations to support the education goals of youth with care experience.

Speakers shared findings from a SSHRC funded research project, showcased a community exhibit, and showed examples of digital stories collected through a research project from youth with care experience and professionals supporting them pursue post-secondary education.


Speakers

This panel presentation featured the expertise of the following people and organizations:

Moderator: Jacqueline Gahagan (Principal Investigator, Atlantic Tuition Waiver Project)
Kristyn Anderson (SchoolsPlus Integrated Services Regional Coordinator - Western Zone)
Tyler Colbourne (Professional Development Consultant, Nova Scotia College of Social Workers)
Heather Carrington (Department of Opportunities and Social Development)
Wanda McDonald (Manager of Counselling and Wellness Student Affairs, Nova Scotia Community College).



Tracking professional development

For members of NSCSW, viewing and reflecting on this recording is eligible towards the annual requirement for professional development activities that support the *pursuit of social justice*. Members who have already completed that requirement for the year can track this as formal professional development instead; a sample attestation template can be downloaded at https://nscsw.org/nscsw-attestation-o... for optional use as a verification document.

Visit https://nscsw.org/pd for more information about the professional development requirements for Nova Scotia social workers.

Land acknowledgement

Mi’kma’ki is the ancestral and unceded territory of the Mi'kmaq, whose inherent rights were recognized in the Peace and Friendship Treaties that were signed from 1725 to 1779. This series of treaties did not surrender Indigenous land, resources or sovereignty to the British Empire, but instead established rules for an ongoing relationship between nations. The treaties were later reaffirmed by Canada in Section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982, and remain active to this day. The NSCSW joins our members and our communities in the labour of reconciliation, and we are grateful to live and work together as treaty people in Mi’kma’ki.