When policy gets built from the ground up, it becomes policylicious.

Date: Thursday September 1st, 2011 (This event is on the first day of Eid. We apologize to our Muslim friends who are not able to attend on this day. Please email us if you won’t be attending but want to be kept in the loop or to be a part of the activities that flow from this event.)
Time: 10am - 5pm (includes light breakfast and fabulous lunch!)
Location: Northern District Library, 40 Orchard View Blvd. (close to Eglinton Station) - Map
Fee: $11.00 (including HST) – Register here.
(If you don’t have a credit card, please email fpynadmin@gmail.com to make other arrangements. For all frontline workers, if the fee is a barrier, please email us at fpynadmin@gmail.com and we be more than happy to waive your fee.)

Want to Help out? Please contact fpynadmin@gmail.com for volunteer opportunities.
Can’t come but want to be in the loop? Please contact Clarissa at cchandlerfpyn@gmail.com.

Policylicious is a playful way to begin the conversation about the painful reality that youth are fundamentally seen right now as either at-risk, criminal or should be nurtured by only their families. This thinking does not allow us to take responsibility as a whole society for making the transition into adulthood sane and safe. How we approach this thinking is called public policy. Public policy gives us a way to challenge current thinking and this gathering gives us an opportunity to have more of the conversation together.

As most in the sector know, the needs of youth and frontline workers are currently not understood or seen as important; and as a result, the sector is under constant attack. Funding is cut, youth spaces are closed, programs are shut down, and those who are hired to look out for the best interests of youth are in very unstable positions. This lack of understanding and support, and its resulting negative impact on youth and communities, is being severely underestimated.

The role frontline workers have in keeping youth and communities safe, sounding the alarm, and/or supporting communities to create viable alternatives is vital. People are already taking action in their own communities the best way they can, because they are losing their programs, spaces, and ability to support youth - especially the ones that need it most.

It is time for frontline workers and allies to create a broader movement for positive outcomes for youth and communities. It is time to come together to determine our collective criteria for what success looks like in order to make strategic and significant impact.

Policylicious continues to build on connecting frontline workers and allies from all sectors who want to see a shift in how youth and their communities are being perceived/supported by the general public and public policy.

The goals of the day are to:

• Allow frontline workers to get a better understanding of how policy is created, changed, and how it links back to what they are directly witnessing and working with on the ground
• Showcase the amazing work of groups who are already taking action (often in isolation) and connect them to others who are interested in/doing the work
• Begin to identify shared criteria for how we as a society respond to youth and the people who work with them as well as connect the work of individuals and groups to this broader shared vision

Ultimately, this gathering is a place for connecting, planning, learning and building momentum for meaningful change. It is not the first and will not be the last. FPYN is committed to supporting frontline workers and their efforts to care for youth and their communities.

This is a unique opportunity to also work with our amazing facilitator - Tuesday Ryan- Hart. To learn more about her, please follow this link: http://artofhosting.ning.com/profile/TuesdayRyanHart.

Sponsored by:
FPYN (project of Tides Canada)
Laidlaw Foundation
Schools Without Borders
Trillium Foundation
Centre for Social Innovation