Every life has turning points, but for the roughly 60,000 children and youth in Canada's child welfare system, these moments carry the weight of a future defined by past trauma, neglect, or abandonment. This GivingTuesday, the Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada (CAFC) is spotlighting these pivotal junctures with its 'The Moment I Knew' fundraising campaign, aimed at providing crucial support to help young people rewrite their stories.
A Personal Journey from Trauma to Triumph
Brittany's story powerfully illustrates the campaign's mission. Her early childhood was scarred by trauma, but a defining moment arrived when she joined the Mothers in Mind program, an initiative funded by the CAFC. "The moment I knew I could break the cycle was when I joined Mothers in Mind," Brittany shares. "It gave me the tools to parent through trauma, not pass it on to my children. CAFC helped me build the strength and love to give my kids a different future."
She emphasizes the program's profound impact, noting it helps stop the intergenerational trauma experienced by many former youth in care and breaks cycles of family violence. Today, Brittany channels her experience into advocacy, serving as a long-standing ambassador for CAFC and having been a member of the Young People’s Advisory Council from 2022 to 2024.
The Four Pillars of the CAFC Campaign
The 'The Moment I Knew' campaign seeks donations to address the heavy burdens of trauma, instability, and poverty carried by youth. Its strategy is built on four key areas of impact designed to create lasting change.
First, it focuses on helping children build and maintain stable, nurturing relationships. Second, it provides essential counselling, peer support, and wellness resources for youth in and from care who are struggling with mental health.
Third, the campaign champions education through scholarships, tutoring, and mentoring to empower youth to achieve their academic goals. Finally, it supports employment-focused initiatives that offer job training, career counselling, and financial assistance to help build stable, independent futures.
Mobilizing Support for a Critical Cause
Brittany's journey is a testament to the success of accessing support across all these areas. The current campaign is a direct call to action for Canadians to contribute on GivingTuesday, a global day of generosity. By funding these comprehensive programs, the CAFC aims to create more moments of realization and hope for thousands of young people across the nation.
The foundation's work recognizes that supporting youth in care is not just about meeting immediate needs but about investing in their long-term capacity to heal, thrive, and ultimately, like Brittany, break destructive cycles for good.
