One Chance To Be A Child: Child Rights and Well-Being in Nova Scotia

Hosted in partnership with the Healthy Populations Institute.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, attention and resources were placed overwhelmingly on protecting older populations. In doing so, the interests and needs of children and youth were sidelined. Disruptions to school food programs and a lack of access to safe places to play or gather, for example, have likely left some children in a more precarious situation than before the pandemic.
Children and youth continue to face complex barriers to realizing their rights and experiencing well-being. The impacts of poverty, trauma, and hopelessness are evidenced in the bodies and minds of children and youth. The causes of these problems, however, are rooted in systemic shortcomings of social policy, interventions for which are necessary at multiple levels.
In this panel, thought leaders will engage with the findings emerging out of a recent comprehensive report on the status of child and youth well-being in Nova Scotia. Panelists will highlight the most pressing issues facing young people in Nova Scotia which undermine their well-being and discuss policy shifts which could result in their experiencing the benefits of rights realizations during their one chance to be a child.