Department of Child and Youth Care

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https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14078/27

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A stakeholder needs assessment to gauge the interest in and demand for a child and youth care postgraduate specialization certificate program
(2017) Bellefeuille, Gerard; McGrath, Jenny; Hedlin, Catherine; Jamieson, Donna
The purpose of this needs assessment was to explore child and youth care (CYC) learning needs and interest of stakeholders in the development of a CYC postgraduate specialization certificate. A purposive sample strategy was used to recruit CYC practitioners and senior CYC administrators. The data collection strategy consisted of an online survey, an online discussion forum, a key-informant focus group, and a round-table discussion. Findings indicated that participants had a strong interest in a variety of professional development topics, including advanced mental health practice/expressive therapies, addictions, child protection, and family work.
Bidding on aprons
(2018) McGrath, Jenny; Garfat, Thom
During the recent 3rd Child & Youth Care World conference in Ventura, California we were hanging about (as CYC people are wont to do) looking at the variety of amazing items on bid for the CYC-Net silent auction. One of the items up for bid was an apron from Newfoundland and Labrador and this led to a conversation about aprons! Alas, only one of us won the apron but we both left with a new appreciation for the valuable versatility of them in our work. So, why are we writing about aprons? Well, the more we talked, the more we realized that aprons are a nice addition to some aspects of child and youth care practice. And, we also realized, an apron is a potentially great tool for Child & Youth Care Workers. Hang on, we will get to the explanation!
Embedded in my heart
(2019) Hedlin, Catherine
There are two major changes I’ve experienced which are inspired by the challenging, delightful, and personable kids I had the honour, and sometimes, the pleasure of working with. While I have attributed these changes to two youth, there are many more who also played a role in my growth.
Transitions and early learning
(2019) McGrath, Jenny
I met Anne many years ago and despite the passing time and now physical distance between us, we are still connected. I requested her permission to discuss our relationship and asked if she would like to be involved in the process. We talked about what we learned from one another and she read and edited the draft before it was submitted. It is important for me to start with this information because one of things I learned from working with Anne is that honesty, genuineness and transparency matter. I learned plenty from Anne, likely much more than she learned from me, so it is impossible to share everything here. As such, I have chosen five key lessons.
Pass the mic: identity and agency in child and youth care environments
(2019) Berikoff, Ahna; Reed, Kelsey
Beginning with this issue, RCYCP has invited participants in the Write On and Pass the Mic project to share their work. Individuals taking part in this writing/podcast project - are students and post-grads from the Bachelor of Child and Youth Care at MacEwan University, Alberta, Canada. They are the sharers of knowledge; the storytellers. As supporters of this project providing gentle guidance, we both recognize the integral role of storytellers to inform, challenge, exchange and learn collectively. We have the privilege of being with these individuals as they share with openness and vulnerability the dimensionality of their identities and experiences. They share with intimacy, transparency and poignancy. As a starting point we, supporters of this project, invite you into our stories communicating who we are and where we are from along the passages of our ancestry.
Who gets to be an expert?
(2020) Magnuson, Doug; McGrath, Jenny
In the past few months we have been flooded with graphs, models, and vocabulary about the spread of the virus. Here is a not-so-brief list of some of the words that appeared in newspapers, Twitter, and on Facebook in the first 30 days of the pandemic: Confirmed cases, presumptive cases, number of tests, number of positive tests, proportion of positive tests, log(2) scale, log(10) scale, exponential growth, linear growth, lagged effects, number of hospitalizations, number of patients on ventilators, number of ICU patients, deaths from COVID, deaths from COVID in hospitals compared to at home, time since the 10th confirmed case, percentage change, skewness, asymptomatic patients, deaths per million, deaths per 100,000, cases per million, infection rates, testing rates, percentage of positive rates, proportion of cases who have recovered, lag-corrected epidemiological curves, jurisdictional sampling, empirical vs. experimental results, modeling, r-nought, effective retransmission rate, false positives, false negatives, excess deaths, 7-day rolling average, contact tracing, community spread, social distancing, self-isolation, self-quarantine, flattening the curve. If you want to be an expert in infectious disease, these words are just the start of what you need to know. For the rest of us there are three choices: Learn all of these words and how to interpret the graphs associated with them, choose wisely which experts to follow, or ignore all of them and use “common sense.”
CYC conferences: reflections, insights and suggestions
(2020) McGrath, Jenny
I have been hearing a lot about CYC conferences lately. Some good. Some not so good. So, I am writing my thoughts with the hope of offering some perspective, insight and ideas.
21st century child and youth care education: an ontological relational turn in teaching and learning
(2020) Bellefeuille, Gerard; Berikoff, Ahna
The pedagogical challenges in preparing child and youth care (CYC) education for 21st century CYC practice, global citizenship and life cannot be rightfully addressed by an antiquated higher education system predicated on a Newtonian/Cartesian ontology that assumes a mechanistic view of the materialistic world and a solitary view of the “self” as completely autonomous, ego-based, and self-enclosed. In this article, we propose an alternative ontological stance for teaching and learning in higher education, one that is informed by the growing body of relational ontology scholarship in theology, philosophy, psychology, nursing, political theory, educational theory, and even information science. The basic contention of a relational ontology is that all relations between entities are ontologically more fundamental than the entities themselves. Within this perspective, the “self” is not so much a personal possession as it is a process of relatedness and a reflection of one’s relational experiences. This view of the self has enormous implications for teaching and learning. A relational ontological approach to education will employ more holistic, collaborative, and experiential methods of teaching and learning in which the learner’s (i.e., the self’s) mind, body, emotions, spirit, and environment are all considered essential components of the learning process. The conversation presented in this article is an invitation to rethink the ontological foundations upon which CYC education is currently constructed and to explore the potential of an ontological revolution in CYC teaching and learning pedagogy. In CYC, as in other disciplines, it is the visionaries operating at the edges of the discipline’s philosophical, theoretical, and practice boundaries who provide the critical reflection and creativity of thought to nudge the field forward. The educationists are suggested to join this adventure.
Gaming
(2020) Berikoff, Ahna
In this episode of Pass the Mic, 4th year students Vivian, Andrew and Emele discuss their involvement with gaming. They shed light on the benefits of gaming as a virtual means for connection, skill development and adventure.
Early-career experiences of TR practitioners in Australia, the United States, and Canada
(2021) Gulamhusein, Shemine; Alford, Stewart; Hooker, Taylor
The objective of this article is to draw attention to the negotiations and navigations of early-career practitioners within the discipline of therapeutic recreation (TR). Three of us, from Australia, Canada, and the United States, who are actively engaged in practice and scholarship, come together to discuss the challenges we each face to highlight the importance of local and global collaborations, and to critically account for the complexities of entering the TR field. Ultimately, this article aims to explore why a practitioner would commit to the profession of TR, and obtain and maintain a TR certification.
Structural challenges and inequities in operating urban Indigenous early learning and child care programs in British Columbia
(2021) Gerlach, Alison; Gulamhusein, Shemine; Varley, Leslie; Perron, Magnolia
Funding for urban, not-for-profit Indigenous early learning and childcare (ELCC) programs has not kept pace with a rapidly growing urban Indigenous population, increasing operational costs, and the rights of Indigenous children. In British Columbia (BC), closure of a prominent Indigenous ELCC program prompted a study of some of the key factors influencing the operation of Indigenous ELCC programs in BC. This qualitative research highlights the priorities, concerns, and recommendations for supporting the operational success of urban, not-for-profit Indigenous ELCC programs and upholding the rights of Indigenous children. These findings have relevance for Indigenous ELCC programs that are facing operational challenges in BC and other jurisdictions in Canada.
Research recast(ed): S1E9 - A conversation with Dr. Shemine Gulamhusein
(2021) Ekelund, Brittany; Cave, Dylan; Gulamhusein, Shemine
Today we learn about the link between leisure and belonging, and we talk autoethnography with Dr. Shemine Gulamhusein, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Child and Youth Care at MacEwan University. With a background in therapeutic recreation, Shemine’s interdisciplinary research is driven by autoethnography and participatory action research, and she has several new projects underway aimed at understanding the recreational experiences of Canadian newcomers and how they relate to their spiritual identities. She also recently collaborated with Caroline Coyle, from the University of the Shannon, and other international colleagues to establish a Global Perspectives in Social Care/Child and Youth Care Symposium.
Both sides now
(2022) McGrath, Jenny
I am writing today to show love and respect to those child and youth care workers that came before me. There are too many to mention here but know that I see you and I value you. I have been in relationship with many of you throughout my career. You have inspired me, challenged me, and encouraged me. You gave me hope and helped me see possibilities, in myself, and for the field of child and youth care.
Activity in child and youth care: lessons from the classroom and the field
(2023) McGrath, Jenny; Pope, Christine; Stiller, Rebecca
Organized as a text for college level Child and Youth Care students, but it also is a resource for practitioners who need a practical guide to build more effective activity-based approaches. Creating recreational experiences that are useful, fun and impactful is a very large part of working in the life space. Practitioners must be fully prepared to use activity work to support the young people and families that they serve, and this book is designed to train newer CYC staff in the complexity of doing those activities.
The academic turn of child and youth care practicum coordination at MacEwan University
(2023) Pope, Christine; McGrath, Jenny; Stiller, Rebecca; Bellefeuille, Gerard
The established agency-based approach to child and youth care (CYC) practicum coordination in post-secondary education is no longer sustainable. It has been impacted by the persistent expansion of professional programs requiring practicum placements for increasing student populations and must be rethought to address the changing needs of stakeholder service providers. This article discusses the creation of a non-administrative, academic CYC practicum coordination position at MacEwan University. The primary focus of this newly created position is to lead the transition from an all-inclusive agency-based placement model of field education to a multifaceted approach to coordination, which will include both research-focused and project-based practicum opportunities.
Northern and rural communities
(2024) Fraser, Mackenzie; Reed, Kelsey; Kostouros, Patricia; Gulamhusein, Shemine Alnoor; Thompson, Brenda
This is a relationally focused text with practical strategies for working with children, youth and families who may struggle with mental health concerns. This text takes up notions of mental health with a decolonized lens and weaves socio-cultural perspectives to understand mental health diagnoses and associated behaviours. An attempt to challenge the prevailing discourse of diagnosis and ideas of normal are considered throughout in recognition that a mistaken diagnosis may have life-long consequences. Recognizing that most front-line practitioners will not likely be in a position to make a diagnosis, this text provides practical strategies for intervening when certain behaviours are manifesting within a particular setting. Similar to the unique contexts front-line practitioners work from, each chapter author(s) has written from diverse practice-oriented and theoretical frameworks based on their knowledge and understanding. Written by scholars and professionals in the field. Each chapter presents unique perspectives as it probes into specific concerns and complications observed in different settings of front-line practice. These perspectives illuminate setting-appropriate interventions and activities to meet the needs of practitioners and clients, including the unique needs of immigrant, refugee, Indigenous, and 2SLGBTQIA+ children, youth and their families.
Relational language in child and youth care: lifespace or battlefield?
(2024) Pope, Christine; McGrath, Jenny
This article is a reflective inquiry about the prevalent and continued use of military or battle-themed language that contrasts characteristics of relational child and youth care (CYC) practice. Examples of common phrases and words in CYC are identified and historical and contextual considerations are discussed to highlight the need for more congruence in CYC practice. Readers are encouraged to consider how CYC practitioners describe, record, and reflect on interactions with children, youth, and families to avoid reliance on those unconsciously rooted in references to combat or war.
Field Seminar: The north star of authentic learning
(2024) Bellefeuille, Gerard; Heaney-Dalton, Kerry; Stiller, Rebecca
Relational child and youth care practice is nuanced, making it challenging to describe and understand. The Child and Youth Care Program pedagogy at MacEwan University is centred on the principle that learning about child and youth care ought to be felt and embodied because once truly experienced, it can be shared with intention with children, youth, and families. This book illustrates how we explore relational practice alongside students, with mutually beneficial results.Theoretical concepts are intertwined with vivid examples of student’s creative work. These illustrations show deep personal exploration and critical examination of ideas, resulting in learning that is meaningful and transformative. You may be surprised by the vulnerability and honesty, but after leaning into their own creativity, students describe increased self-awareness and capacity. Students also gather an array of interventions that can be used in their work, and because of their personal application and understanding, the usefulness is evident. As you read, you will likely find yourself pondering the pertinence of the examples to your life and work. Allow yourself to engage in ways that are meaningful to you, and you may be surprised by what you notice. One of the many advantages of relational arts-based teaching and learning is the transferability of the creative process.
Voices of introverted CYC students: a course-based qualitative inquiry into the lived experiences of introverted students in the classroom and the field
(2025) DeGiano, Bronwyn; Demas, Nathaniel; Johnson, Jaden; LeBreton, Chanelle; Zendran, Breanna; Bellefeuille, Gerard; Pasula-Kelly, Mary-Ann
This qualitative course-based study explored the lived experiences of introverted child and youth care (CYC) students in the classroom and the field of practice. An interpretive research paradigm was chosen to guide the research design, as this is aligned with the ontological underpinnings of relational-centered CYC practice, which holds the view that multiple realities and perspectives exist and that these are shaped by experiences and contexts. A nonprobability purposive sampling strategy was used to recruit undergraduate CYC students at MacEwan University who self-identified as “introverts.” A data-collection triangulation method was employed, with semi-structured face-to-face and remote interviews and a focus-group conversation. A reflective thematic analysis revealed six significant themes uncovering underlying meanings, concepts, and patterns within the datasets for the three questions posed to participants: a) shyness, b) low social battery, c) comfortable spending time alone and having quiet time, d) quiet energy is my superpower, e) beyond small-talk, and f) honoring my quietness.
Across border learning: extending relational practice through collaborative poetry
(2025) Gulamhusein, Shemine Alnoor; Coyle, Caroline; Pope, Christine
The writers experience a moment of reawakening, a return to the embodied experience of engaging in a collective creative arts-based opportunity to make meaning of a new experience. This reminder, one that occurred during an international study tour, provoked the authors to discuss ways to develop furth creative and collective ways of enhancing higher education learning experiences. Our learnings required us to engage in transformational teaching practices with our students and colleagues. While the aim of the international experience for students is to draw their attention to the beliefs, values, culture, histories, and complexities of a context beyond their everyday context, the reflected experience reframed the beliefs and values the author hold regarding teaching cultures and histories. The authors encourage practitioners and educators within Child and Youth Care / Social Care to embark on powerful, effective, creative, and collaborative arts-based programming within their practice as frontline practitioners and educators. It is through such accessible and intentional critical relational practices that Coyle, Pope, and Gulamhusein believe practitioners and educators will connect with those they work with, offer opportunities to make meaning of experiences, overcome inequities in non-collaborative approaches to care, provide spaces to challenge and question social injustices, develop resilience, and empower children and youth to realize their potential in their unique life journey.

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