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Journey Home: An Interactive Bus Tour
Journey Home was a program that educated community members and leaders about some of the most vulnerable children and youth in their community.
History
Journey Home Ottawa was a project modelled on a successful initiative that began in Wisconsin in 1999. That initiative – an interactive bus tour – was established to educate state and local legislators, businesses and community members about what it meant to be a child or youth in the public child welfare system. Journey Home identified the importance of finding permanent families and the roles that those in the community have in affecting the lives of each and every child.
Journey Home Ottawa
Journey Home educated community members and leaders about some of the most vulnerable children and youth in their community. Policy and decision-makers, social workers, business people, educators, foster/adoptive parents, members of the justice system, community leaders and – most importantly youth in and from care – participated in a five-hour bus tour that simulates the experience of a child or youth’s time in care.
After boarding the bus, participants receive a profile of a child they ‘become’ for the day. Passengers are asked to imagine themselves as that child as they proceed through the journey of care to different stops around the city.
Our stops include interviews with social workers and police, hospital visits/medical appointments, foster or group homes, the Children’s Aid Society, or a homeless shelter or support organization. Many youth who age out of care without permanent families become homeless.
At each stop along the journey, participants hear directly from a youth about their experience in care, suggestions about how best to support them, and ways to dismantle barriers to permanency. Passengers also hear from experts in the field and learn about the importance of their work for children and youth in/from the child welfare system.
At the end of the day, passengers learn whether the child they have imagined themselves to be returns to their birth family, is adopted, remains in foster care, or ages out of the system without a family.
Our Purpose
Journey Home was a youth-led, adult-supported program that gave young people the opportunity to share their stories and help change how we understand life in the child welfare system. It was created to inspire youth, including those with visible and invisible disabilities, to find their voice and take part in the conversation.
Through the program, youth in and from care shared their lived experiences and ideas for change. They showed their resilience, creativity, and strength while building confidence and skills in leadership, public speaking, and storytelling. Along the way, they explored the real challenges many youth face, including mental health, homelessness, education barriers, and involvement with the justice system.
Journey Home helped shine a light on both the strengths and the challenges of the child welfare system, creating space for greater empathy and understanding. Many people do not realize that they may interact every day with young people who are in care or have been part of the system. This project helped make those experiences more visible.
At its core, Journey Home is about connection. It highlights the importance of stable, long-term relationships and raises awareness about the need for foster and permanent families, including adoption, kinship, customary care, and guardianship. Because too many young people still age out of care without these connections, this work continues to matter.
