Just Futures for Children

Prof. Brenda Morrison is Simon Fraser University’s Director of the Centre for Restorative Justice. She is passionate about interdisciplinary work that develops critical and reflective praxis that frames problems of crime and justice; public health and safety; education and development in ways that re-imagine and transform individuals, communities and governance. Her work is theoretically eclectic, weaving the arts, land-based learning and diverse epistemologies.

Chelsea Minhas is the Executive Director of the BC Association of Social Workers and a Registered Social Worker. She has more than 18 years of experience working with children and youth. Recognized for her expertise in organizational leadership, stakeholder engagement, and systems change, Chelsea has worked extensively in areas including homelessness, human trafficking, adolescent development, mental health, and harm reduction.

Prior to joining BCASW, Chelsea served as Chief Program and Impact Officer at Covenant House Vancouver, where she led all programming, government engagement, advocacy efforts, research and evaluation, and cross-sector collaborations. She is also an adjunct faculty member at Adler University, a TEDx speaker, and recipient of the YWCA Women of Distinction Award.

Throughout her career, Chelsea has built a reputation for communicating complex ideas with clarity, authenticity, and impact. Her leadership philosophy is grounded in the belief that meaningful communication begins with listening, and that trust is built through consistency, transparency, and genuine human connection.

Dr. Jennifer Charlesworth is British Columbia’s Representative for Children and Youth, appointed in 2018. She has worked in the B.C. social and health care sectors since 1977, and her experience includes front-line child welfare, social policy, program management and executive roles within government and the non-profit sector, teaching child and youth care at the University of Victoria, and serving on numerous community board and provincial advisory committees.

She was engaged in formative work on deinstitutionalization, community inclusion for people with disabilities, women’s and girls’ health, mental health and youth services. Some of Dr. Charlesworth’s non-profit work has included working with Indigenous organizations to co-create new ways to support Indigenous children, youth and families, as well as being immersed in developing the leadership, innovation and cultural awareness of the community-based social care sector.

Dr. Charlesworth lives in the traditional territories of the Lekwungen and W̱SÁNEĆ peoples. She has a PhD in Child and Youth Care from the University of Victoria, and an MBA from Oxford Brookes University in Oxford, England. She is an award-winning teacher, author, activist and a parent of two vibrant young women who remind her daily of the power and promise of young people.

Tina is a lawyer, facilitator, and collaborative leader whose work advances child and youth rights and access to justice systems change in Canada and internationally. She grew up in a working-class immigrant family on the traditional territories of the Squamish, Tsleil-Waututh and Musqueam Nations, where she continues to live as a Punjabi settler.

Tina holds a JD and MPA from the University of Victoria and is an executive of the Canadian Bar Association’s Child and Youth Law and International Law Sections. She co-founded the BC Children’s Law Section and the South Asian Legal Clinic of British Columbia. Most recently, she served as the Strategic Coordinator for Access to Justice BC, a network chaired by the Chief Justice of BC, which seeks to advance user-centred design, innovation, and reflective practice. Her work brings together academic, professional, lived and community-based knowledges to further preventative, participatory and evidence-informed approaches. Tina is known not only as an advocate for emerging or alternative dispute resolution approaches, but also as someone who can connect and coordinate diverse individuals and groups to navigate complex issues with care.

Kory Wilson (Hemas Kla-Lee-Lee-Kla) BSc. JD, is the Chair of the BC First Nations Justice Council and Council Representative for Indigenous Justice Centre Services; Gladue Services; Women, 2S+, Youth, and Child Wellbeing; Forum and Data; and Human Resources and Structure. She was jointly appointed by the First Nations Leadership Council.

Ms. Wilson has over 20 years of combined experience in post-secondary education, community development, and in practicing criminal defense and family law; good governance is a specialty and a passion.

She is the Executive Director of Indigenous Initiatives and Partnerships for the British Columbia Institute of Technology, a member of the BC Law Society, and Chair of the World Federation of Colleges and Polytechnics Indigenous Affinity Group. She is a sought-after speaker and strategist on advancing and truth-telling about the past and moving forward towards Reconciliation.