About

Research, writing and action projects to advance the well-being and rights of diverse groups experiencing oppression and marginalization

I am dedicated to fostering and communicating social change, building on my foundation as a social worker. I hold a Master’s Degree in Social Work and a Post-Graduate Diploma in Child Studies. While initially I provided counselling and support services directly to children, youth and families, I soon realized that my passion was collaborating with them and others (such as researchers, advocates, and Indigenous community members and leaders), so that their voices and messages can be heard, and most importantly, acted upon.

Career highlights:

My Real Life Book – Report from the Youth Leaving Care Hearings

Youth Leaving Care Hearings – I served as a project advisor and worked with children and youth in and from care and the Ontario Child Advocate to support researching, planning, designing and holding hearings led by young people for young people. The 2011 hearings, “focused on improving outcomes for youth in and from care and represented a landmark moment in the history of advancing the rights of young people in Ontario.”

Learn about Indigenous community member experiences and priorities in North Bay

Walking the Red Road Report: Our community’s journey to help each person live a good life – I collaborated with the Urban Aboriginal Communities Thrive Project, North Bay Indigenous Friendship Centre, to support the development of a report reflecting Indigenous community member priorities for action. Anishnabek News wrote, “The report highlights eight key findings, including the fact that an Aboriginal worldview influences how community members experience services and that those services need to be more responsive. Community members describe the pivotal role that Aboriginal culture plays in strengthening mental health and offer suggestions for better integrating Aboriginal culture into education, businesses and social services in North Bay.”

What is resilience? Report explores and defines the popular concept

Resilience: Successful Navigation through Significant Threat – I collaborated with Reaching IN…Reaching OUT in 2010 to explore and define resilience for the Ministry of Children and Youth Services. Over the course of the project, we interviewed Ministry staff, community practitioners, parents, and young people in care, to learn about their views on resilience, coping with traumatic and significant life-altering events, and how children and families could be better supported.

The Big Picture – Children’s Rights and Developmental Influences

Turning knowledge into action for children and youth – I was the executive director of Voices for Children from 2000-2008. During that time we supported researchers, practitioners and young people to use knowledge to promote change. Now termed ‘knowledge mobilization’, our strategies included: developing and publishing 40 action-oriented reports by researchers, practitioners and young people, including Youth Voices on Violence; calling for a province-wide solution to track the well-being of Ontario’s children; and, partnering with Nishnawbe Aski Nation youth to establish SEVEN, a media network to promote their voices and issues.

Geared to students and practitioners, the book addresses violence in diverse Canadian families.

Cruel but not Unusual: Violence in Canadian Families (2012, 2nd edition, revised & expanded) – I teamed up with Ramona Alaggia at the University of Toronto to work with 28 contributors to address the lack of accessible Canadian research and information on violence in diverse Canadian families. Cruel but not Unusual, used in courses across Canada and now in its second edition, was the first book to provide a comprehensive examination of all forms of violence, in diverse families, over the life course.

In-depth examination of sexual abuse through the story of Martin Kruze

Gardens of Shame: The Tragedy of Martin Kruze and the Sexual Abuse at Maple Leaf Gardens (2002) – In 1997, Martin Kruze went public about his sexual abuse at Maple Leaf Gardens, inspiring hundreds of other disclosures and drawing attention to the problem of sexual abuse. After Martin died by suicide, I wanted to ensure that the story behind the media headlines would be told and began conducting in-depth interviews with survivors and others connected to the story. Paul Challen and I collaborated to write the book and the story lives on: read the transcript of my 2016 interview with Matt Galloway on CBC Metro Morning.