July 17, 2018
It’s heartening news to everyone with a passion for better social health and more opportunity and connection for BC children and youth to see that community-sector champion Jennifer Charlesworth has been unanimously endorsed to become BC’s next Representative for Children and Youth.
Jennifer has a great deal of depth and breadth of knowledge around the issues, challenges and opportunities for the province’s most vulnerable children and youth after years of working in and around the community social services sector. She is a collaborator and a problem-solver – well-known and well-connected throughout BC – and recognized for her clear thinking and strategic approaches when it comes to tackling the complex challenges that are at the heart of improving social, economic and health outcomes for children and youth. No small wonder why an all-party special committee of the BC Leglslature has recommended her for this exciting new role!
Jennifer particularly hopes to focus on the over-representation of Indigenous children and youth in BC’s child-welfare system, she told the Times Colonist in a July 16 story about her pending appointment.
“For me it’s absolutely vitally important that my eyes are open wide and looking for every opportunity to support the work to not only reduce the over-representation … but to really address what it is children, youth and families in communities are experiencing that is getting in the way of their cultural connections, their well-being, their growth, their development, their self-determination,” she said.
In her years as executive director of the Federation of Community Social Services of BC (2007-12), Jennifer was instrumental to and unwavering in her support of Board Voice as it was being founded as a new movement for volunteer boards of directors helping lead the work of the community social services sector. We wish her much success in her big new job, and look forward to engaging with her on all kinds of fronts as we work together to strengthen services, outcomes and approaches for BC’s children and youth.
Read Jennifer’s LinkedIn profile here.