In 2023, OJEN adopted a strategic plan to guide our organizational activities toward our 25th anniversary in 2027. It builds on OJEN’s recognized strengths while identifying opportunities to make a greater impact. The plan includes 5 broad areas of focus:
- Engage youth directly to increase the diversity of youth served.
- Listen, learn and seek guidance on implementing the Calls to Action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and incorporate First Nations, Inuit and Métis teachings in our work.
- Implement a comprehensive strategy to recruit, train and retain volunteers.
- Expand relationships with trusted intermediaries in schools and other communities.
- Invest in cultivating greater sustainability.
As we reach the halfway point in implementing this plan, we’ve made significant headway in advancing our goals. We are excited to share some of our stories about the initiatives we’ve launched, the partnerships we’ve developed, and the new youth audiences we’ve reached.
Expand relationships with trusted intermediaries in schools and other communities.
Since its inception, OJEN has recognized the value in supporting teachers, youth workers, and other adults who work with youth by offering training and professional development. By working with these trusted intermediaries – providing them with accurate and up-to-date legal information and resources – we can reach a wider youth audience.
Our strategic plan calls on us to expand our support of trusted intermediaries and explore possibilities for greater engagement. OJEN’s recent training session for frontline youth workers hosted by the Association of Native Child and Family Services Agencies of Ontario (ANCFSAO), demonstrates some of the steps we are taking to advance this strategic goal.
Partnering with ANCFSAO to train frontline workers
On March 13th, OJEN delivered a 2-hour online training session for frontline workers from ANCFSAO agencies who work with Indigenous youth. The training addressed the barriers they encountered while helping youth secure housing. This has become increasingly challenging as the availability of affordable housing is low.
For Indigenous youth aging out of care, various factors increase the difficulties they face with housing. Discrimination was the most common barrier identified. Frontline workers expressed the need for more information, tools and resources to better support youth in developing legal life skills to navigate the legal aspects of housing.
The training was made possible with funding from the Department of Justice Canada’s Justice Partnership and Innovation (JPIP) program, which supports OJEN’s PLEI for Racialized Communities project.
Consultation
During the consultation process leading up to the training, OJEN staff listened to experiences from frontline workers throughout the province as well as ANCFSAO staff. They heard about the common housing issues encountered by youth, the current support communities offer, and the legal information and life skills youth needed to address these challenges. Although situations differed from one community to another, there were several common themes. Affordability, discrimination and lack of knowledge of basic tenant rights were often cited as significant barriers to obtaining housing. OJEN staff used these insights to develop a training session that aligned with the needs of communities and frontline workers.
Using Community Legal Education Ontario’s (CLEO) Steps to Justice materials as a resource, OJEN staff designed a series of scenarios addressing common issues raised during the consultation. Each scenario included a description of the situation, the underlying issue involved and support that could be offered to youth encountering the situation. The session included accompanying resources that provided practical legal information and recommendations on where to go for further information and assistance.
Training delivery and impact
Frontline workers throughout Ontario attended the training session, representing both urban and remote communities. OJEN and ANCFSAO staff facilitated the training, providing opportunities for discussion and input from the participants throughout the session. As each scenario was discussed, workers from different parts of the province shared information about how their organizations and communities dealt with the legal issues. Throughout the session, a lawyer and social worker from Justice for Children & Youth (JFCY), as well as a paralegal from the Aboriginal Legal Services provided legal information.
A recording of the training will be distributed throughout the ANCFSAO network, along with a handout with a list of resources and a tips sheet focused on housing and discrimination.
Response to the training was extremely positive. Both OJEN and ANCFSAO found the collaboration rewarding and look forward to more opportunities to work together.