Youth in action: Driving change in Canada

Season 1, episode 7

Youth in action: Driving change in Canada

Discover what matters to Canadian youth in the upcoming federal election, and find out why GFORCE are UNICEF Canada’s new Halloween Heroes.

Sound Mix: Chandra Bulucon

Producer: Priyadarshini Mitra

Episode Transcript: 

[00:00:00.24] I've been in class before and another classmate would say the N-word to me and then the teacher wouldn't say anything.

[00:00:05.73] I've had friends who've had a knife held to their throat. So from wanting to go into the bathroom that they felt best suited them.

[00:00:14.10] A lot of people they won't be able to go to school in the morning. A lot of them come to me in the morning and ask me for food because they weren't able to eat at home.

[00:00:20.38] I've had a teacher verbally abused me as a result of wanting to leave the classroom when my anxiety was sky high and I was experiencing panic attacks.

[00:00:28.80] The voices you heard are those of the children and youth of Canada trying to make a difference to their lives is what drives UNICEF Canada's work. Hello. I'm David Morley, the president and CEO of UNICEF Canada and the host of For Every Child podcast.

[00:00:58.55] We're back with a new season of the podcast where we will take you on a journey to different parts of the world following stories about children and issues that impact them in various corners of the globe. When we began thinking about the theme for our first podcast this new season, we decided that a good place to start would be by looking inwards at children here in Canada.

[00:01:22.71] At UNICEF Canada we're often asked, what do you do for children and young people here in Canada? Children's rights tribe everything we do. We believe that every child in every part of the world has a right to a safe and happy childhood, and that includes Canada.

[00:01:41.29] While we like to think that Canada is the best place in the world to grow up in, but as you'll soon hear that isn't true for many Canadian children. With the federal election coming up we're working hard to get all candidates to understand the issues facing children and the actions needed to improve their lives.

[00:02:04.99] In this episode of our podcast, we hear from the children and young people of Canada to understand what issues truly affect children and young people, as well as how to create effective solutions. We must listen to them and we did exactly that when we developed our recently released Canadian index on child and youth well-being, it raises many concerns.

[00:02:33.55] One of the things that showed is that Canada maybe is just not everything that we thought we were as a society and it's a tougher place for kids to grow up in. We've found that one in four young people has felt sad or hopeless for long periods of time, that one in four sometimes go to bed or go to school hungry, one in five of Canadian young people lives in relative poverty, and more than a third experienced discrimination. And one in 10 homes in Canada with children have been informed of a boil water advisory.

[00:03:13.66] Those are not statistics that are good enough for a country like ours and I think for a lot of adults they were a surprise. Today I'm really happy to be able to have two young people who are going to be talking with us. Samantha is from Moncton, Kamar is from Ottawa. And I guess I'll start with you Samantha, did any of those findings surprise you?

[00:03:38.86] I would say no. I definitely can see those reflected in my own community and it's definitely not something that is shocking to me personally.

[00:03:50.17] And how about you, Kamar?

[00:03:51.79] Honestly, I didn't find any of those to be surprising because I know people in the community that I've grown up in and people in that area that I've grown up in will complain about a lot of these things such as going to school hungry, a lot of people that won't be able to go to school in the morning.

[00:04:06.22] A lot of them come to me in the morning and ask me for food because they weren't able to eat at home. And also with discrimination I know a lot of the people I hang out with say that they've dealt with discrimination at some point and time.

[00:04:17.86] Personally, I feel like I have been discriminated. I've been discriminated in schools a lot because I can do the same thing as somebody else and I will get a more severe punishment for it. I can clown around in class, and I can get into a fight or something, and I will get a more severe punishment than the other person.

[00:04:39.04] And also I would say that the N-word being used against me in class. I've been in class before, and another classmate would say the N-word to me, and then the teacher wouldn't say anything. But they were just try and move around it and move around the situation, which honestly I don't think that that's OK. I think that the position of a teacher, they should be there to stop anything that should be any discrimination. They should stop it on spot.

[00:05:07.69] And when that happened, so the teacher didn't do anything. And then how does that make you feel? I would assume you don't want to go to school, you don't want to-- I mean, I don't know. How do you keep going?

[00:05:20.91] It was like turn me away from going to the teacher when something else happened. If I would see-- if someone would say something rude to me I wouldn't want to go and tell the teacher because I'm like, oh, the teacher doesn't care. They're not going to do anything about it. So that personally it would turn me away from searching for help.

[00:05:36.33] Yeah. And we want to be including people in solutions and part of things. And Samantha, how about you? Are there times you've experienced some of these things that we've got as data in our report?

[00:05:52.14] Yeah. I would say that I've definitely dealt with my fair share of discrimination. And building off of what Kamar was saying along the lines of teachers are supposed to be like a level playing field and neutral, or more I guess open-minded in terms of any person or personality, and I've had-- I'm just going to list off some situations.

[00:06:19.80] I've had a teacher verbally abused me as a result of wanting to leave the classroom when my anxiety was sky high and I was experiencing panic attacks. She wouldn't let me leave. I've also had another teacher who would ask, oh, why are you leaving?

[00:06:35.43] I was supposed to be able to just leave the classroom, just walk out and go and find a place to just calm down and come back to class if I felt it was fit, maybe talk with the teacher afterwards if I felt comfortable. Another couple of situations, more so relating to the LGBT community and homophobia, and transphobia, and those sorts of things. I have had strangers come up to me and just say things that are not super great, they don't need to be repeated.

[00:07:05.82] And I've also had teachers not do anything when someone said things like that's so gay in the middle of class for no apparent reason. And I've had friends who've had a knife held to their throat for wanting to go into the bathroom that they felt best suited them. And it's very real and it's still present in today's society, the discrimination that many youth are facing.

[00:07:31.66] So if that's the situation that you find a lot of your friends, and colleagues, and young people in Canada, Sam, what do you think we can do to improve things for young people in Canada?

[00:07:46.18] I would say that in order to improve things for young people in Canada, they need to have their voices heard on the, I guess, grander stage and that means including them in parliament discussions, and decisions, and having them involved with UNICEF, and having them involved with people who can make change as youth often don't have that power. And it's something that we definitely need to relook at in terms of involving young people and making them feel safer and more at home in Canada.

[00:08:18.28] So you'd say it's-- maybe as a society then you talk about involving young people more as part of the solution, I guess.

[00:08:26.32] Yeah. I would definitely say that involving young people is the solution. And we're starting to see that a little bit more with youth voice committees and various opportunities like this coming about, however, we definitely can do more.

[00:08:41.71] And Kamar, what do you think? How can we improve things?

[00:08:45.46] Honestly, I agree with Samantha. I think asking young people and youth about the things that are like the problem that there are because as you said a lot of the adults are surprised that these are facts. But if you could ask any youth any one of them would have said, yeah, that's obvious, it's something that everyone sees. So I think just having the space for these conversations with the young people and with the youth would honestly be the first step.

[00:09:09.83] OK. So if we made the space, but sometimes I know that adults are either not going to want to listen to you, we're going to be-- sometimes what you say will be frightening to us, so we don't want to-- we turn it aside, how do we find a way to have an open discussion do you think? Or I don't know if it's a discussion or what it is.

[00:09:34.09] Honestly, it's all about open mindedness and knowing that they have these experiences, they've lived through these experiences. And just because it's not something that you've gone through personally, just because it's not a situation that you see in your life, you'll still be able to respect and be like, OK, yeah, people are going through that.

[00:09:51.14] And if you get enough people saying that, yes, they've been through that, I feel like that would be able to make the adults who are scared to hear these things, I feel like that will help make them listen to it.

[00:10:04.49] We are in the middle of an election and we've been saying at UNICEF Canada that we've been advocating that we should lower the voting age to 16. What do you think about that? Would that make a difference?

[00:10:21.70] I would say that it would definitely make a difference. For example, I'm 17 and I would be able to vote within three months of the Federal Election coming up. However, I do have an opportunity to vote. My dad often lets me just-- he'll ask me who I would vote for and why, and we'll have a discussion about it, and he would let me check off the ballot and he will put it in.

[00:10:52.15] That's great. I wouldn't have done that. My dad never gave me that chance. And what do you think, Kamar?

[00:10:58.78] With that, honestly, I think that would be it's going to be a great opportunity because I know a lot of young people between the ages of 16 to 18 who talk about the stuff that's happening in politics, they talk about it a lot.

[00:11:12.91] And I feel like one of the reasons why adults, they don't want to lower the age is because they don't think that people who are 16 or 17, they don't think that they care or they don't think that they have lived enough to know about the experiences. But I know personally that a lot of people that age might know a lot about these issues.

[00:11:31.84] And I also wonder also as an older person. I also think you guys are going to have a much longer time in Canada and in the society that we're building now than I am. So to be able just lowering the voting age to 16 when you're able to work at that age and you're paying taxes if you're working, it only really seems fair to me.

[00:11:58.26] What else Sam do you think that Canadian voters need to know about the situation facing young people in Canada when they go to cast their vote on October 21?

[00:12:12.01] I would say that people who are able to vote they really need to keep in mind that youth have a voice and that voice needs to be heard. And when that voice tries to be heard we are faced with discrimination and it be viewed in various ways.

[00:12:31.63] For example, discrimination it was a very high percentage, it was one in three youth who had experienced discrimination according to UNICEF's index. And going off of that, I would say that discrimination is definitely something that voters have to be aware of. And I can definitely speak from my experience with discrimination.

[00:12:57.93] Then we have to take account of it. What do you think, Kamar?

[00:13:01.20] I think that they need to remember that most of the things that they are voting for are going to affect the young people the most. So keeping that in mind when they're voting, I think that's one of the most important things to pay attention to.

[00:13:15.66] Yeah. What I've been thinking of as I have been talking with colleagues here at UNICEF and also with young people as we've been preparing what we think should be happening, is that we talk about a whole variety of issues from climate to income inequality, but we don't as a society yet say, how is that affecting young people?

[00:13:39.66] And recognizing that some of what you guys are living through are a direct result of that and it's part of why at UNICEF we're wanting to encourage an increase in things like the Canada Child tax benefit so that more money will go to families who need it and that we try to put more things like school lunches in place so that those physical things can be dealt with.

[00:14:07.57] But also we know that we have to look at issues like discrimination that the things that are sometimes harder to define, but clearly you guys know it when it happens. It's the thing we know, but we don't know how to define. And I think it's something that we all need to be working on.

[00:14:31.19] This podcast is being listened to by a lot of people around the country, around the world. But is there any final message that you would like to leave for our listeners, Sam?

[00:14:44.11] I would say that definitely listen to your youth, definitely listen to your children, and take note of what they say, and act on it if it needs to be acted on.

[00:14:55.90] What do you think, Kamar?

[00:14:57.22] Honestly, I just want to say that you need to know that you don't always know everything. A lot of the parents think that they can't learn anything from the young people, that's why they don't want to engage in these conversations. But there are things that the young people can teach you. That's why a lot of time teachers say that they're learning from the students as much as the students are learning from them. So I think it's important that everyone just remembers that.

[00:15:20.99] Thank you both for sharing that with us and with our listeners. 8 million kids in Canada can't vote, so we need adults to think about the well-being and futures of children when they cast their votes. When politicians knock on your door asking for your vote, this is your chance to stand with children everywhere and champion policies that can affect their future.

[00:15:47.16] You can find out more about our Vote for Every Child campaign at unicef.ca. Hearing young people like Kamar and Samantha speak fills me with hope, hope that young people will become engaged and play an active role in building a better, more just society where every child has the chance to reach their potential. Children today are socially aware and are looking for ways to make a difference.

[00:16:16.48] And that brings me to the Halloween part of the podcast, it is October after all. And when I grew up, the UNICEF orange box was as much a part of Halloween as pumpkins and candy. At the front door, a bowl of coins for the box was right beside that bowl of candy that my parents would give out.

[00:16:38.14] And then when my own children were going out for Halloween, we would keep that Bowl of coins right next to the candy that we were ready to share with other kids. That UNICEF orange box was my first exposure to taking part in something that I knew would impact some other child's life. It taught me the importance of giving and of sharing.

[00:17:05.20] And over the years children raised more than $100 million one penny, one nickel, one dime at a time. But 13 years ago we stopped the orange box campaign. And now not a week goes by without someone asking me why UNICEF isn't part of Halloween anymore.

[00:17:26.56] But guess what? UNICEF Canada is reclaiming Halloween with our new Halloween Heroes Campaign. It's fully digital to make it relevant to today's kids, but we're bringing back the four characters that were on the box to represent the pillars of UNICEF's work making sure children everywhere have access to safe water, education, nutrition, and health care.

[00:17:53.77] Children, families, and adults can become Halloween heroes by setting up their own fundraising page online at unicef.ca/halloweenheroes. To teach kids the power they have to change the world, they get to decide where the money that they raise will go. They can choose between water, nutrition, education, or health, or even all four.

[00:18:20.36] Schools can get involved too by registering online to become Halloween hero schools and we have a special treat for one lucky school. Each school gets automatically entered into a draw to win a performance by UNICEF Canada's newest and youngest ambassadors GForce.

[00:18:41.15] GForce is a musical group of five girls from Toronto, Holly, Ava, Sarah, Sienna, and Michela, and they're all aged between 10 and 13. They recently made it all the way to the quarterfinals on the TV show America's Got Talent. And they're joining me now to talk about how they're going to help kids become Halloween heroes and to fight for the right of every child everywhere to have a safe and happy childhood. Welcome aboard, GForce. Are you excited about being Halloween heroes?

[00:19:18.74] Yes. It is very close to our heart because we get to make a difference to the lives of other kids like us who don't have as much as we do.

[00:19:28.19] Yes, we think it will help kids all around the world dream big.

[00:19:31.40] And we hope many more kids in Canada will join us.

[00:19:34.52] So which Halloween heroes did each of you choose and why? Ava?

[00:19:39.50] I chose the education hero because my family is very school-oriented and so am I. I believe that all kids deserve to go to school no matter where they're from.

[00:19:48.50] You're the youngest, Holly. What inspired you?

[00:19:51.56] I chose the nutrition hero because all kids deserve to grow up healthy and strong. Thinking of a kid going to sleep starving just makes me sad. And I want all kids to grow their minds, and bodies, and just enjoy being a kid.

[00:20:08.54] And Sienna, you chose water, right?

[00:20:11.24] I chose to be the water hero because water is a basic need and I feel like all children around the world should be able to access it. And I learned from a school event that not every child has the access to clean water for basic things that I do every day like drinking water or showering.

[00:20:38.06] What Halloween hero did you pick, Sarah?

[00:20:41.09] I chose health because I'm able to go to doctor's appointments and get treated with medicine if I need it. And not all kids around the world have that right and I think it's important for everyone to be able to access that.

[00:20:52.46] What about you, Michela?

[00:20:54.02] I chose the UNICEF hero so that I don't have to choose just one area to help kids. There are so many kids all over the world who need our help just to have basic rights like school, and clean water, access to medicine, and healthy food. I want to make a difference.

[00:21:14.51] I'm sure hearing each of you speaking so passionately about becoming Halloween heroes will inspire many of our listeners to join the campaign. With that, we've come to the end of this podcast. We so hope you enjoyed listening. We'll be back soon with another episode of For Every Child.

[00:21:35.33] And if you'd like to support some of the important work UNICEF is doing, please log in to unicef.ca and learn more about how you can get involved. And don't forget to spread the word about our Halloween heroes program and look for Halloween heroes all through October till Halloween night itself. I look forward to seeing all of them then.

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