You are now in the main content area

Shaking the Movers

Online conference hosted by the School of Child and Youth Care encourages young people to build advocacy skills and create change
By: Madeleine McGreevy
December 14, 2021

A graphic illustration shows the key themes and concepts young people unpacked during the Shaking the Movers conference, held by the School of Child and Youth Care in November. Illustration by Erica Bota, Think Link Graphics.

Young people have the right to participate and have a positive impact on society. But too often they are ignored by the adults, or ‘movers,’ who make decisions that affect them. Faculty, staff and students from the School of Child and Youth Care (CYC) hope to 'shake up' that dynamic with an online conference for youth. 

From November 20-21, 2021, 32 young changemakers from across Ontario and Manitoba gathered virtually for the annual Shaking the Movers (external link)  (STM) conference, where they explored the power and potential of advocacy to address issues and concerns in their lives and communities.

Based on the Landon Pearson Centre’s model for collaborative consultation with young people (external link) , the conference provided a space for youth (aged 13-19) to develop advocacy skills and practice applying them to particular social issues. 

The advocacy theme came about in response to the frustrations young people shared at the STM conference held by the university in 2020. At the time, youth related the challenges and barriers they experienced when trying to speak up about different issues with adult decision-makers in education and government. 

This year’s theme of building advocacy skills aims “to create more respectful responses to young people when they’re flagging their issues or concerns,” explains Tara Collins, conference chair and CYC graduate program director. 

“The theme was a direct response to the frustrations and issues young people shared with us last year. There were so many examples … where authority figures, whether they were MPs or politicians, teachers, or principals, were made aware of certain issues that young people were experiencing, and they were dismissed or ignored.”

“It was an opportunity for the young people to find a way into understanding what advocacy skills are and why they’re important, and allowing them to try them out over the course of the weekend,” Collins explains. “Those learnings around skills can be applied in relation to any topic, any issue of concern by the participants as they go back home and engage in their issues of concern and interest to them.” 

The conference included plenary speakers, group discussions, and presentations from young people that related to the themes of Black lives, Indigenous rights and mental health. Participants explored social issues connected to each theme under the broader framework of child rights. They gained context and further understanding of the “three Ps” of child rights: provision (as in health and education), protection (from violence and exploitation, etc.) and participation (including the right to be heard).

CYC students were involved in many aspects of the conference -- from developing videos that illustrate the themes to facilitating group discussions with the young people. CYC faculty, staff and alumni also played a key role in making it happen.

Screenshot of speakers at 'The Rights Project Talks Advocacy' Zoom conference

Photo: Young leaders from the Rights Project (external link)  shared their experiences working with Black, Indigenous and racialized communities on their rights.

The Honourable Landon Pearson O.C., a longtime advocate for the rights and well-being of children, and founder of the STM model, opened the conference with a clear call to action. “Your challenge today is to look at the mess that the adults have created … and to use your imagination and ideas to give us some ideas of how to change it,” she said.

The plenary speakers included Sumaya Nur and Kyla Platsis (an alumna of the university's CYC undergraduate program and current CYC graduate student), from the Rights Project (external link) , Sal Sabila from Youth Gravity (external link) , and Sara D’Urzo, a current CYC undergraduate student and climate change activist. The young leaders spoke about their experiences with advocacy and answered questions from youth in a series of Q&As. The Rights Project empowers and educates Black, Indigenous, and other racialized communities in the GTA on their rights, whereas Youth Gravity provides a platform for young leaders to pursue projects that they are passionate about.

“The young leaders shared what advocacy looks like for them, their journey, their successes, their ‘failures’ or learning opportunities and how folks in the GTA can get involved,” says Annabelle De Jesus, a conference co-facilitator and alumna of the university’s CYC undergraduate program. “These are amazing role models that young people can look up to and get involved with as well as adult allies who are here to support and empower the amazing work the young people are already doing,” she continues.

For youth participant Divya Sharma, a high-school student from Winnipeg, the conference provided an important opportunity to be heard. “It showed that there are allies here to listen and inform us about our rights,” she said. “I think that was really powerful. Dr. Finlay, she said this quote: ‘the first step to advocacy is always listening, whether that’s with your heart, your eyes, or your ears,’” Sharma says, referring to Judy Finlay, the director of CYC. “I think that’s so important,” she goes on. “Shaking the Movers is all about listening to different perspectives, and having adult allies listening.”

Photo: Youth from Manitoba and Ontario gathered online to explore social issues within a child rights framework.

Intergenerational dynamics played a key role in the discussions for conference co-facilitator Steven Gibson, who is a student in the CYC graduate program and an alumnus of the CYC undergraduate program. 

“We had some really awesome experiences where there was some intergenerational dialogue and feedback, and the young people are able to come forward and say ‘this is what we’ve been talking about, this is how we feel, this is what we’ve been learning,’ and then to have those intergenerational reactions to that.”

Ultimately, the conference team hopes that STM prepares young changemakers to have a say in the policy and programs that impact them in their day-to-day lives.

“How can we start to open that door and equip these young people with the skills and the tools that they need with issues that they’re excited about?” Gibson asks. “When you gather young people in a space like this, you become aware very quickly that they’re very intelligent, they’re very capable ... but the issue is that the processes we have in place marginalize the voices of young people,” Gibson explains. “I really hope that young people walk away from this conference feeling empowered and with some skills to move beyond that and start to make a difference.”

The conference team is developing a video and written report on the outcomes of the discussions which they plan to share with the Child Rights Academic Network (external link) . “This is a broad group of academics and practitioners who are formally tasked with responding to what the young people have to say,” Collins explains. “Then they incorporate young people’s contributions in their teaching, in their research, and in their policy and advocacy efforts,” she continues. The team also plans to share these pieces with various ‘movers’ in government, academia and not-for-profit organizations. “Watch out world,” says Collins. “The conference will have a multiplying effect over time -- across society, and across generations.”

Sharma, the young high school student, feels empowered and ready to have an impact in the world. “Professor Tara Collins said at the very end: ‘You are not “too young.” We are here for you. Society is ready for you and we need you,’” she recalls. “You don't get to hear that very often, it’s always about ‘when you grow up’ or ‘youth are the future.’ I believe  this was the most empowering message I heard during the entire conference.” 

Shaking the Movers is an annual youth-driven and youth-led workshop series held in different regions of the country in both English and French. The workshops enable children and youth to have a safe space to consider aspects of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child in the context of their lived experiences. The Honourable Landon Pearson O.C., a longtime advocate for the rights and well-being of children, created the model. Learn more: https://carleton.ca/landonpearsoncentre/shaking-the-movers/ (external link)