According to a report by the Ontario Human Rights Commission, more than half of children under the age of 15 in foster care in Canada, are Indigenous. Being a foster child, and especially a racialized foster child, comes with its own set of challenges including stigma, lack of resources, navigating placements with different foster families and the impact on mental health including post-traumatic stress disorder, panic, anxiety disorders, major depression and drug/alcohol abuse. Black and Indigenous children are over-represented in the child welfare system and in today’s episode we are looking at some of those stories – where we hear from BIPOC adults who had to navigate the child welfare system and the impact on their mental health. We speak with one of the former residents of the Nova Scotia Home for Colored Children, Tony Smith, and the founder of a peer-support group for individuals raised in foster care, Foster-Up, Natasha Reimer Okemow. Natasha was a trans-racial adoptee, who also navigated the system from a very young age and is now reclaiming her Indigenous and Jamaican heritage. We also have insights from psychotherapist, Kosu Boudreau, who has personally experienced being in the child welfare system as a former crown ward.

 

Here are their stories:

 

Tony Smith: 05:47

 

Natasha Reimer Okemow: 29:19

 

Kosu Boudreau:  53:39

 

 

Other Resources:    

The Child Welfare Political Action Committee

 

Youth In Care Canada

 

Kosu Boudreau

 

Bell Let’s Talk

According to a report by the Ontario Human Rights Commission, more than half of children under the age of 15 in foster care in Canada, are Indigenous. Being a foster child, and especially a racialized foster child, comes with its own set of challenges including stigma, lack of resources, navigating placements with different foster families and the impact on mental health including post-traumatic stress disorder, panic, anxiety disorders, major depression and drug/alcohol abuse. Black and Indigenous children are over-represented in the child welfare system and in today&rsquo;s episode we are looking at some of those stories &ndash; where we hear from BIPOC adults who had to navigate the child welfare system and the impact on their mental health. We speak with one of the former residents of the Nova Scotia Home for Colored Children, Tony Smith, and the founder of a peer-support group for individuals raised in foster care, Foster-Up, Natasha Reimer Okemow. Natasha was a trans-racial adoptee, who also navigated the system from a very young age and is now reclaiming her Indigenous and Jamaican heritage. We also have insights from psychotherapist, Kosu Boudreau, who has personally experienced being in the child welfare system as a former crown ward.
&nbsp;
Here are their stories:
&nbsp;
Tony Smith: 05:47
&nbsp;
Natasha Reimer Okemow: 29:19
&nbsp;
Kosu Boudreau: &nbsp;53:39
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Other Resources: &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
<a href="https://www.childwelfarepac.com/">The Child Welfare Political Action Committee</a>
&nbsp;
<a href="https://youthincare.ca/">Youth In Care Canada</a>
&nbsp;
<a href="https://everwellcounselling.ca/kosu-boudreau">Kosu Boudreau</a>
&nbsp;
<a href="https://letstalk.bell.ca/en/">Bell Let&rsquo;s Talk</a>

This podcast highlights the experiences of Black, Indigenous and People of Colour (BIPOC) communities and their impact on mental health. Launched by the Bell Let’s Talk Diversity Fund, each episode features conversations with guests from different ethnocultural communities in Canada as they share personal stories, the unique barriers they navigate on their wellness journey and the importance of finding culturally affirmative mental health care. So if you want to understand the mental health reality of BIPOC community members, whether you have experienced mental illness or not, there will be something to relate to in each episode.

Hosted by IHeartRadio’s CHUM 104.5 Morning Show Co-Host Jamar McNeil, Your Morning’s Anne-Marie Mediwake and comedian and broadcaster Candy Palmater, each episode will be a safe space to unpack sensitive issues like intergenerational trauma and residential schools, anti-Black racism, first vs second-generation immigrant struggles, men’s mental health among many others. They also explore the similarities and differences between experiences lived by the various BIPOC communities, making such conversations a more inclusive space. The podcast also brings in BIPOC mental health professionals so we better understand the impact of these intersecting life experiences on mental health and the support available. "From Where We Stand: Conversations on race and mental health" is an Original Bell Let’s Talk podcast produced by iHeartRadio.

This podcast highlights the experiences of Black, Indigenous and People of Colour (BIPOC) communities and their impact on mental health. Launched by the Bell Let&rsquo;s Talk Diversity Fund, each episode features conversations with guests from different ethnocultural communities in Canada as they share personal stories, the unique barriers they navigate on their wellness journey and the importance of finding culturally affirmative mental health care. So if you want to understand the mental health reality of BIPOC community members, whether you have experienced mental illness or not, there will be something to relate to in each episode.
Hosted by IHeartRadio&rsquo;s CHUM 104.5 Morning Show Co-Host Jamar McNeil, Your Morning&rsquo;s Anne-Marie Mediwake and comedian and broadcaster Candy Palmater, each episode will be a safe space to unpack sensitive issues like intergenerational trauma and residential schools, anti-Black racism, first vs second-generation immigrant struggles, men&rsquo;s mental health among many others. They also explore the similarities and differences between experiences lived by the various BIPOC communities, making such conversations a more inclusive space. The podcast also brings in BIPOC mental health professionals so we better understand the impact of these intersecting life experiences on mental health and the support available. "From Where We Stand: Conversations on race and mental health" is an Original Bell Let&rsquo;s Talk podcast produced by iHeartRadio.

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