Awards, Conference and CYC Week
2023 Provincial Conference
2023 OACYC Provincial Conference | October 25-27, 2023
Hosted by Niagara College Canada
Awards
The OACYC is proud to present the following four awards: The OACYC Award of Excellence, The Dennis McDermott Career Achievement Award, and the Krista Sepp Memorial Awards; which consist of the Mentoring Award and Horizon Award. In this nomination package, please find a brief description of each of these awards as well as instructions on how to complete a nomination. All completed nomination packages should be submitted to awards@oacyc.org.
Downloads:
The OACYC Award of Excellence (2021 winner: Miriam Elbard)
This award is designed to honour individuals who demonstrate excellence in the field of Child and Youth Care. This excellence could, for example, be observed in the following areas:
• Engagement
• Leadership
• Strength-based approaches
• Creativity
• Advocacy
In addition, the nomination should provide examples of the nominee’s active promotion of the spirit of Child & Youth Care, commitment to professional development, and ethical practice.
The Dennis McDermott Career Achievement Award (2023 winner: Christine Gaitens)
This award is designed to recognize and honour individuals who have achieved significant accomplishments over the course of a minimum of a twenty year career in Child and Youth Care. In order to be eligible for this, nominees must have realized considerable achievement and actively supported the Ontario Association of Child and Youth Care, all while working in the field of Child and Youth Care for no less than twenty years.
In addition, the nomination should provide examples of the nominee’s active promotion of the spirit of Child and Youth Care, commitment to professional development, and ethical practice.
Krista Sepp Memorial Awards
The Krista Sepp Memorial Awards were established by Kinark in 1991 to honour the memory of Krista Sepp, who lost her life on February 3, 1989, while performing her duties as a Child and Youth Worker (CYW). For the past 25 years, supported by agencies across the province, the awards have honoured the work of Child and Youth Care Practitioners (also known as Child and Youth Workers, Child Care Workers and Child and Youth Counsellors) in Ontario.
Two Child and Youth Care Practitioners (CYCP) who have made exemplary contributions to the field of practice and who embody the values that Krista was known for, will be honoured. Nominations for the Horizon and Mentoring Awards are received from across Ontario from agencies working in the areas of child and youth mental health, child welfare, youth justice, education and health.
Mentoring Award (2021 winner: Mark Humphries)
The mentoring award honours the ongoing excellent contributions of direct care staff with more than five years experience and a diploma or degree in Child and Youth Care (CYW, CCW, CYC) or an OACYC membership.
In addition, the nomination should provide examples of the nominee’s active use of enthusiasm, empathy, creativity, initiative, and leadership within the Child and Youth Care field, with children, youth, families, coworkers, and the community.
Horizon Award (2021 winner: Warren Duncan)
The horizon award recognizes excellent work of direct service staff with up to five years of experience and a diploma or degree in Child and Youth Care (CYW, CCW, CYC) or an OACYC membership.
In addition, the nomination should provide examples of the nominee’s active use of enthusiasm, empathy, creativity, and initiative with children, youth, families, coworkers, and the community.
CYC Week
Child and Youth Care week is celebrated throughout the Ontario CYC community as a time of year where organizations, stakeholders, funders, and peers can spotlight and acknowledge Child and Youth Care practitioners for their work, effort and perseverance in practice.
Each year a theme is set by the OACYC and announced in early to mid April
Dates of CYC Week: May 6-12 2024, May 5-11 2025, May 4-20 2026, May 3-9 2027, May 1-7 2028, May 7-13 2029, May 6-12, 2030
