June signals the start of summer, but it also includes essential celebrations like BC Child & Youth in Care Week, National Indigenous History Month, Pride Month, and National Indigenous Peoples Day. We have been hard at work finding ways to involve participants in programming, meals, and events that tie in culture and celebrate diversity.
As part of BC Child & Youth in Care Week, participants came together to enjoy an evening at Central City Fun Park, where they shared a meal, played arcade games, and won prizes! Aunt Leah’s also held our Annual Youth Awards Celebration, where participants were recognized for their achievements and efforts with one of five awards.
BC Child & Youth in Care Week aims to raise social awareness and shift negative perceptions, to recognize children and youth in care, like all young people, as individuals with talents, contributions, and dreams. A group of youth in and from care advocated for this week so their siblings in care could grow up feeling celebrated for their diverse talents and accomplishments, surrounded by a supportive community that stands with them. They also wanted to raise awareness about the barriers they face and fight the stigma that comes with being a “foster kid.”
Proclaimed by the province of British Columbia in 2011, BC Child and Youth in Care Week (BCCYICW) is a time for everyone in communities across the province to support and celebrate our province’s incredible, diverse young people in government care. Youth envisioned a week that acknowledges and celebrates the unique strength of young people in care, and that’s how BC Child and Youth in Care Week was created.
Aunt Leah’s is proud to provide a safe and inclusive space for our 2SLGBTQIA+ youth! June is historically known as Pride Month, but it also kicks off Pride Season, which refers to the wide range of Pride events that take place over the summer, including the New Westminster Pride Parade in June and the Vancouver Pride Parade in August.
Did you know that Pride gatherings emerged from the first large-scale protests for 2SLGBTQIA+ rights? In Canada, the first demonstrations took place in Ottawa and Vancouver in 1971.
In recognition of National Indigenous History Month and National Indigenous Peoples Day, Aunt Leah’s encouraged staff and participants to attend events in their local communities and learn more about the rich and diverse cultures, voices, experiences, and histories of First Nations, Inuit, and Metis Peoples.
