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.

Leveling the Playing Field for Immigrant Families in Mount Pleasant - final report from Mount Pleasant Neighbourhood House.

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:
• Summary Report
• Community Action Toolkit
• Child and Youth Development and Income Inequality: A Review of Selected Literature
• Child Poverty Status Report

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.

Child Labour Project

First Call has launched a website, nochildlabour.org, for a specific campaign to improve employment standards for young people working in BC, including a demand to raise the work start age from 12 and increase safety protections. This campaign emerged from a report on injury rates of young people in the workplace that First Call released in 2009. First Call representatives are now taking these issues into the work of the newly-formed Employment Standards for the Next Decade Coalition.

First Call staff and volunteers continue to offer training workshops and presentations on child and youth issues and advocacy skills. We produce tool kits, commentaries, briefs and other materials for community advocates to use. The First Call Weekly Announcements reach over 2000 people with the latest news and calls to action. Monthly coalition meetings focus on various issues under the 4 Keys to Success for children and youth and facilitate dialogue across sectors and with government decision-makers.