About VFCYJC

Our Mission

To facilitate connections between municipal and Indigenous governments, school districts, service providers, and the broader community to educate and advocate for options to address the challenges and shortfalls facing youth and families who may come into contact with the justice system.

Our Vision

We envision families and youth having access to timely and appropriate supports within their communities so that they may achieve their full potential

VFCYJC Membership

Funded through the Capital Regional District, the VFCYJC brings together:

13 municipalities
3 school districts
provincial ministries
youth service agencies
police
Capital Region Action Team for Sexually Exploited Youth (CRAT)

2024 VFCYJC Membership List

Municipal and CRD Appointees

Marie-Terese Little, Chair and Mayor, District of Metchosin

Adam Flint, Vice-Chair and Citizen Representative, Town of View Royal

Cynthia Day, Past Chair, Councillor, City of Colwood

Bill McElroy, Treasurer, CRD Appointee and Capital Region Action Team on Sexually Exploited Youth

Marcie McLean, Priorities Subcommittee and Chair, Councillor, District of Highlands

Rose Stanton, Youth & Family Matters Subcommittee Chair, Councillor, District of Highlands

Jeff Bateman, Councillor, District of Sooke, Communications Subcommittee Chair

Sara Duncan, Councillor, Town of Sidney

Kimberley Guiry, Councillor, City of Langford

Kim Jordison, Councillor, City of Colwood (alternate)

Krista Loughton, Councillor, City of Victoria

Ron Mattson, Councillor, Town of View Royal

Jack McClintock, Councillor, District of North Saanich

Terry O’Keefe, Councillor, Town of Sidney (alternate)

Esther Paterson, Councillor, District of Oak Bay

Jim Rondeau, District of Central Saanich appointee (alternate)

Darlene Rotchford, Councillor, Township of Esquimalt

Celia Stock, Councillor, District of North Saanich (alternate)

Mena Westhaver, Councillor, District of Saanich

Gordon Irving, District of Central Saanich (appointee)

CRD citizen appointees

Micayla Hayes, Saanich

School District Representatives

Karin Kwan, Trustee, School District #61

Christine Lervold, Trustee, School District #62

Trudy Spiller, Trustee, School District #62 (alternate)

Terri Vanwell, Trustee, School District #63

Nola Silzer, Trustee, School District #63 (alternate)

Resource Agency Representatives

Tamara Allen, Indigenous Community Justice Navigator, Aboriginal Coalition to End Homelessness

Ranj Atwal, Director of Operations, Youth Justice, Ministry of Children and Family Development

Cate Bennett, Youth Services, Ministry of Children and Family Development

Justin Alex Douglas, Board Member, Restorative Justice Victoria

Mia Golden, Mobile Youth Services Team and Crime Reduction and Exploitation Diversion (CRED) program

Cindy Hendricksen, Youth Justice Consultant, Province of BC

Melissa Hyland, Director, Wakata’keri’te Resiliency Rising Society

Gillian Lindquist, Executive Director, Restorative Justice Victoria

Gord Magee, Victoria Police Department and Mobile Youth Services Team

Sara Radford, Program Manager, Pacific Centre Family Services Association

Jen Shortt, Youth & Family Counsellor, Artemis Place Society & Thirteen Moon Farm

Colin Tessier, Executive Director, Threshold Housing

Boys and Girls Club of Greater Victoria

Central Saanich Police Service

Ministry of Public Safety and the Solicitor General

Saanich Police Department

Sidney RCMP

Single Parent Resource Centre

Victoria Police Department, Youth Outreach

Victoria Court Registry Services, Province of BC

Victoria Single Parent Resource Centre

VFCYJC Secretary

Marnie Essery

Capital Region District Staff Liaison

Steve Carey, Senior Manager, Legal Services & Risk Management

Sharon Orr, Corporate Services

Notable Accomplishments 2004 – 2023

Clothing, computer and bus tickets for Sanctuary Youth Drop In to assist homeless youth
Funded Girls Circle training and sessions at Rockheights Middle School in Esquimalt
Furnishings for the Victoria Sexual Assault Health Clinic Family Comfort Room
Submission to the Children’s Representative Five Year Review
Increased Indigenous Cultural Awareness: through promotion and acceptance of necessity for Cultural Sensitivity Training; attendance at First Nations Court in Duncan; education on Impacts of Colonization and TRC obligations
Advocacy for support of Federal Motion M-47, addressing health outcomes of youth exposure to pornography
Funded Restorative Justice Resource Group multi-media tools to educate the public and to assist in training the region’s first case facilitators
Funded the development and implementation of the Restorative Justice Resource Group ‘Trainer of Trainers’ course to launch restorative justice in three communities across the CRD
Funded Restorative Justice Resource Group training for youth participating in Restorative Justice Victoria’s Youth Theatre Outreach Project for schools in the CRD
Funded Advanced Training of Restorative Justice trainers and volunteers throughout the CRD to better equip programs for Crown and other complex cases
Funded Restorative Justice Victoria to develop, deliver and evaluate Mentor Training and to produce a manual for province-wide sharing on best practices and procedures
Advocated for improved provincial funding for Restorative Justice with the Minister of Justice and Attorney General
Brought Children of the Street Society to present Taking Care of Ourselves: Taking Care of Others annually in Schools for more than 10 consecutive years at no cost to the school districts
Advocated for Youth Mental Health with Resolutions to the Association of Vancouver Island and Coastal Communities and the Union of British Columbia Municipalities
Advocated for School Based Mental Health Clinics
Advocated for the first Youth Medical Clinic in a School Setting (Belmont), de- stigmatizing mental health issues and increasing ease of access
Advocated for a Youth Medical Clinic on the Peninsula along the lines of the Belmont Clinic, with special interest in cultural sensitivity for Indigenous participants and, contributed essential funding
Identified gaps in services for youth, youth in care and Youth Mental Health and Addictions Services.
Identified youth at risk situations that exist in less visible ways, e.g., couch surfers and the inadequately housed
Advocated for supportive youth housing
Hosted five years of networking workshops for service providers and youth through the Bright Ideas Conferences
Co-hosted Training for Regional Police Services with the Office to Combat Trafficking in Persons on several occasions with a huge uptake in training
Relaunched VFCYJC website with resource listings, member’s section, downloadable reports, etc. (2019)
Increased VFCYJC Profile through presentations of the Annual Report to Councils and Boards
Organizational review and incarnation as a designated committee of the Capital Regional District (2022)
Supported the Mobile Youth Services Team and helped secure one-year funding renewal (2023/24) with advocacy campaign involving support from the CRD, Colwood, Metchosin, Sooke, Highlands and the City of Victoria.

Funded through the Capital Regional District, the VFCYJC brings together:

13 Municipalities
Capital Regional District, including electoral areas
3 School Districts
Provincial Ministries
Youth Service Agencies
Police
Capital Region Action Team for Sexually Exploited Youth (CRAT)

A great way to meet with other youth serving agencies and gain the attention of your local municipal and school district representatives.

Meetings are the fourth Thursday of every month, except December, July and August, from 11:30 – 1:30. Guests may attend with advance notice to the committee. Lunch is provided. If you have a topic you would like to present or see presented, email us with your suggestion and any speaker contact info you may have. Contact:

Secretary: Marnie Essery vfamcourt@gmail.com
Chair: Marie-Térèse Little mtlittle@metchosin.ca
Vice-Chair: Adam Flint flintadam@gmail.com
Treasurer: Bill McElroy bill@mcelroys.ca

Territorial Acknowledgement

The Victoria Family Court and Youth Justice Committee meets on the unceded Coast Salish Territory of the Lekwungen-speaking and WSÁNEĆ nations. We acknowledge and thank the Lekwungen-speaking peoples, also known as the Songhees, Esquimalt and Beecher Bay First Nations communities for allowing us to live on their lands.

The VFCYJC further acknowledges that the capital region spans the Traditional Territories of Coast and Straits Salish and Nuu-chah-nulth peoples and that, by virtue of being represented by all 13 municipalities, our committee is responsible to help build respectful and enduring relationships with our First Nations neighbours.

From Facebook

Victoria Family Court & Youth Justice Committee

1 week ago

Human Trafficking Prevention Network of British Columbia as championed by its Honorary Patron, The Honourable Janet Austin, Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia. ltgov.bc.ca/human-trafficking-prevention-network/"If you or someone you know is a victim/survivor of human trafficking, or you think someone might be, call the Canadian Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-833-900-1010." ... See MoreSee Less

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Victoria Family Court & Youth Justice Committee

1 week ago

Support the work of Moose Hide Campaign and raise your own awareness with this self-paced, 5-part practical learning journey dedicated to ending violence. Led by Indigenous Wisdom Carriers from across Turtle Island and the Moose Hide Campaign. www.wearemedicine.ca/courses/wearemedicine ... See MoreSee Less

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Victoria Family Court & Youth Justice Committee

1 week ago

Well-earned hat-tip from the BC Minister of Children and Family Development for the Alliance to End Homelessness in the Capital Region 👏Spotlighting the work and leadership of the Alliance to End Homelessness! @homeforhope Their people-centered, collaborative, and innovative work focuses on systems change and prevention. I'm grateful for their work and leadership in our community. #yyj ... See MoreSee Less

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Victoria Family Court & Youth Justice Committee

1 week ago

This virtual educational group is open to youth ages 19-24 living in BC who self-identify as having experienced trauma, and are coping with the impacts of these experiences through substance use, self-harm and/or other coping responses that come with their own challenges. This group supports youth who would like to expand their toolkit with new coping strategies and resources to add to the ones they already have, and to create their own, unique path for their healing journey.To learn more and register, visit foundrybc.ca/virtual/groups-workshops.#FoundryBC #MentalHealthGroup #SupportGroup #VirtualCare #VirtualSupport ... See MoreSee Less

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Victoria Family Court & Youth Justice Committee

3 weeks ago

2024 World Happiness Report "In the West, the received wisdom was that the young are the happiest and that happiness thereafter declines until middle age, followed by substantial recovery. But since 2006-10, as we shall see, happiness among the young (aged 15-24) has fallen sharply in North America – to a point where the young are less happy than the old. Youth happiness has also fallen (but less sharply) in Western Europe." See pp. 61-100 for Child and Adolescent Well-Being: Global Trends. happiness-report.s3.amazonaws.com/2024/WHR+24.pdf ... See MoreSee Less

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From Twitter

VFCYJC. victoriafamilycourt.ca Follow

Victoria Family Court and Youth Justice Committee represents 13 municipalities, 3 SDs & the CRD & is aware of youth & families within the justice system.

Retweet on Twitter VFCYJC. victoriafamilycourt.ca Retweeted

Grace Lore @gracealore ·

9 Apr

Spotlighting the work and leadership of the Alliance to End Homelessness! @homeforhope Their people-centered, collaborative, and innovative work focuses on systems change and prevention. I'm grateful for their work and leadership in our community. #yyj

Reply on Twitter 1777827372336910818 Retweet on Twitter 1777827372336910818 3 Like on Twitter 1777827372336910818 12 Twitter 1777827372336910818

VFCYJC. victoriafamilycourt.ca @vfamcourt ·

11 Apr

Looking forward to a @Foundrybc presentation at our next VFCYJC meeting later this month.

Reply on Twitter 1778223028503220384 Retweet on Twitter 1778223028503220384 Like on Twitter 1778223028503220384 1 Twitter 1778223028503220384

VFCYJC. victoriafamilycourt.ca @vfamcourt ·

11 Apr

Human Trafficking Prevention Network of British Columbia as championed by its Honorary Patron, @LGJanetAustin
https://ltgov.bc.ca/human-trafficking-prevention-network/
"For more information or to request to join the Network please contact GHRSVP@gov.bc.ca"

Reply on Twitter 1778222532442923121 Retweet on Twitter 1778222532442923121 Like on Twitter 1778222532442923121 Twitter 1778222532442923121

Retweet on Twitter VFCYJC. victoriafamilycourt.ca Retweeted

Darren Laur - White Hatter Team @darrenlaur ·

12 Mar

The Utilization of Social Media by Gangs in Teen Recruitment: What Parents Need To Know @SD62_Sooke @WestshoreRCMP @cfseubc @vicpdcanada @SPD_Community @OakBayPolice @cspoliceservice

Reply on Twitter 1767575882473107608 Retweet on Twitter 1767575882473107608 3 Like on Twitter 1767575882473107608 4 Twitter 1767575882473107608

About VFCYJC

Our Mission

Our Vision

VFCYJC Membership

2024 VFCYJC Membership List

Municipal and CRD Appointees

CRD citizen appointees

School District Representatives

Resource Agency Representatives

VFCYJC Secretary

Capital Region District Staff Liaison

Notable Accomplishments 2004 – 2023

Funded through the Capital Regional District, the VFCYJC brings together:

Territorial Acknowledgement

Important Links

Follow Us

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Victoria Family Court & Youth Justice Committee

From Twitter