Today, we are joined by thought leader and truth and reconciliation program facilitator Salena Starling, who is also the co-owner and president of Community of Big Hearts. Salena has personally been through Canada’s foster care system and, in this episode, she opens up about her journey. We discover how and why the foster care system disproportionately affects Indigenous youth and what needs to change to break stereotypes and address intergenerational trauma. Salena’s story illustrates the implicit challenges that Indigenous youths are born into and what can be done to support reconciliation efforts. Our guest is an exception, having made it out of the system as a healthy, successful individual. Tune in to hear about her efforts to break the cycle and what the rest of us can do to facilitate change.

Key Points From This Episode: 

• Introducing Salena Starling, President and Co-Owner of Community of Big Hearts.
• Salena shares her personal connection to Canada's child welfare system and its challenges.
• How and why the foster care system disproportionately affects Indigenous youth.
• The importance of reconciliation efforts to address intergenerational trauma.
• A reminder that the ‘60s scoop’ didn’t end in the 60s.
• What reconciliation involves and what needs to be done to support reconciliation efforts.
• The stereotype cycle affecting Indigenous people; what Salena is doing to break harmful stereotypes.
• Why it’s important to create safe spaces promoting dialogue and understanding.
• The role parents play in shaping their children's attitudes toward diversity and reconciliation.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Salena Starling on LinkedIn

Community of Big Hearts

CanU Canada

Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion

Leader Talks with Anne-Marie Pham