circle of strength

This project aims to create a brave, inclusive space for individuals who are doing ‘motherwork’ and have intersected with the child welfare system. It is a space for mothers (and her allies) to speak her/their own truth, witness each other’s truth and imagine what a caring child welfare system could look like. The work for the Circle of Strength is two pronged: First and foremost, it is a space for healing whereby simply engaging in the truth-telling/witnesses process is understood to be valuable. The intention is to build a long-term, self-sustaining network of relationships where experiences, perspectives, skills and knowledge can be shared in a way that is reparative for those taking part. Having said this, we are not a group that can provide any formal, legal or political advice. Our goal is to hold space for mothers (or those doing motherwork) in the too often dehumanizing child protection process. The second “prong” of our work is about activism at a sociopolitical level. Our lived experiences reflect a very broken system that we believe can do much better. We strive to work with, rather than against others, in creating social programs that meet the self-identified needs of the children, families and communities that continue to disproportionately come into contact with child protection systems (Indigenous, Black, families impact by disability, etc…). While we aim to disrupt existing hegemonic structures, we do some from a place of care (rather than “rights”).