The Canadian Children, Youth and Communities (CCYC) In | Equity Conference is an interdisciplinary conference designed to bring together pediatric health and allied health care professionals to address health care inequities from birth to adolescence using a family-centred approach.

This conference explores health equity topics specific to marginalized communities in the Canadian health care system and offers approaches that can be implemented to address barriers in accessing healthcare for under serviced, high-risk and economically disadvantaged children and youth.

Founder of Voice Found, Cynthia Bland is a keynote panelist the afternoon of October 20th from 3:45pm-4:45pm EST and will be discussing support for youth who are being or have been trafficked.

Conference Goals

Overall goals of the conference are:

• To develop a network of researchers interested in health equity in children, youth and their families

• To offer solutions to addressing systemic inequities in health from birth to adolescence

Conference Objectives

Throughout this conference, attendees will explore health system inequity issues specific to children and youth. By the end of the conference, they will be able to:

1. Demonstrate an increased awareness and identify solutions to addressing systemic inequities in health from birth to adolescence in a post-pandemic world

2. Critically apply an equity lens to addressing social determinants of physical, developmental and mental health for children, youth and their families in the context of their health systems and communities.

3. Implement innovative and collaborative approaches to addressing barriers to accessing quality healthcare for children, youth and their families.

Voice Found will be at The Sexual Exploitation & Trafficking Awareness Conference (SETA) in Calgary again this year. Christine Pratt, Director Anti-Human Trafficking Services at Voice Found is delivering a keynote and Sarah Tunstall, Case Manager and Lived Experience Specialist will be delivering a workshop.

The SETA Conference aims to increase inter-agency collaboration, build education and awareness about the complexities of sexual exploitation and sex trafficking, and demonstrate leading practices in the field of supporting survivors. Join us for the two-day conference which will bring together up to 200+ inter-disciplinary professionals working to eradicate sexual exploitation and sex trafficking and will include two keynote speakers, four sector experts for a live-panel discussion, and 20+ workshop presentations.

Voice Found will be at the WOW (Working on Wellness) Festival again this year. WOW brings together Substance Use Health, Mental Health and Physical Health communities under one umbrella. It is an opportunity to engage with Ottawa’s wellness communities and its allies.

Human trafficking is one of the fastest growing crimes in Canada. Forced Labour Slavery is recognized as being a reprehensible violation of human rights causing immediate and long-term harm to individuals and communities. Forced labour is vastly underreported. A Victim/Survivor centred approach is key to preventing and ending victimization through Forced Labour. Collectively, we can improve institutional capacity and strengthen systems essential to creating an environment of safety, human dignity, and thriving communities.

The Rotary Action Group Against Slavery, Not In My City, IJM Canada, and The Mekong Club are partnering to create scalable, sustainable, and measurable solutions that close the justice gaps for people in our communities who are vulnerable to violence and exploitation. This inaugural event will provide an opportunity for collaboration with other Canadians and international changemakers to disrupt and end Human Trafficking and Forced Labour Slavery.

We look forward to connecting with our colleagues in Toronto and learning from so many great speakers.