First Call received funding to support three communities in raising awareness of income inequality and child poverty issues affecting children and families. These communities will assess local policies, practices and circumstances to identify priorities for their action plans. Activities could include public education activities or building and strengthening cross-sectoral networks. These three projects are in their initial stages, and First Call is supporting them by providing resource materials and opportunities for mutual learning and sharing amongst the four communities. The three partner organizations are Kla-how-eya Aboriginal Centre in Surrey, Mt. Pleasant Neighbourhood House in Vancouver and Gitksan Wet'suwet'en Education Society in Hazelton. This project has produced 2 research reports on the relationship between income poverty, inequality and child outcomes in Canada.
Community works in progress:
• Mount
Pleasant Neighbourhood House Project Description
• Gitksan
Wet'suwet'en Education Society Work Plan
• Kla-how-eya
Aboriginal Centre Community Consultation
Report
Publications from this project:
• Community
Action Toolkit
• Child
and Youth Development and Income Inequality: A
Review of Selected Literature
• Child
Poverty Status Report
Shifts in Canada’s economy have made life tougher on many families
with children. Poverty among families today is substantially higher than
it was 20 years ago. Yet, nearly half of all low income children in Canada
(48%) live in families where the parents work full-year. Clearly, getting
a job is not always a pathway out of poverty for Canadian families. That
is why First Call has joined other Campaign 2000 partners to raise awareness
about the need for jobs that pay living wages and to pursue strategies to
get there. The project, Addressing the Falling Fortunes of Young Children
and Families in Canada, is underway in four communities across Canada: Vancouver,
Winnipeg, Toronto and St. John’s (Newfoundland) and is funded by Human
Resources and Social Development Canada.
Since 2006, First Call has held 4 parent workshops and 3 multi-stakeholder
Living Wage Roundtable meetings. Roundtable participants brought experiences
and perspectives from community organizations, employers, faith groups,
parents, public institutions and trade unions. We shared evidence and research
about the numbers of people living on low incomes in BC, the need for wages
that can sustain families with dignity, and learned from campaigns in other
cities, provinces and countries. Strong partnerships have grown from these
initial activities. A working group is now conducting research to guide
a living wage calculation and campaign for Greater Vancouver. Anyone interested
in joining this campaign is welcome to contact the First Call office.
• Living
Wage Roundtable Minutes Nov. 30/07
• Living
Wage Roundtable Minutes May 9/08
Find out more about campaigns for the living wage in other communities participating
in this project at www.fallingfortunes.ca,
and learn more about economic
inequality.
The First Call ECD Roundtable continues to bring together early childhood advocates to monitor how public policy and investments are serving our youngest children. Participants share information on the state of services and supports in their local communities and on new developments in their fields of work. The recent cuts to the national child care program and provincial child care services have prompted a dialogue with the provincial government, trying to track and influence government decision-making, spending and plans for this sector. The Roundtable has also focused on the shift of responsibility for early learning to the Ministry of Education. Always the Roundtable tries to bring attention to the need for a comprehensive framework for action for early childhood development in BC.