For Black Futures Month, we’re catching up with George Brown College graduates to celebrate their success and to find out how they’re continuing to chart an inspiring path forward.
Vivene Roberts never stops moving to ensure the needs of marginalized children and youth in foster care are being met. She runs a foster care agency, recently opened a foster care group home, and continually creates innovative new programming and services—many of them focused on young people on the autism spectrum.
“It’s exciting — having the opportunity to look at the gaps," she said. “Our programs are focused on marginalized youth and families who’ve been oppressed based on culture, race and sexuality.”
A 1993 graduate of George Brown College’s Child and Youth Care program, Roberts currently oversees three businesses that serve children and youth in foster care. As CEO of Wraparound Specialized Foster Care Services, she’s working to address the lack of resources within the Greater Toronto Area for marginalized youth.
“Black youth in care are far outnumbered – the disparity is huge,” she said, and this leads to Black youth being placed in homes that are “far removed from their culture.”
“Often they're seen as troubled youth because they’re reacting to their trauma,” she explained.
Her focus is on finding foster families who are an identity match with children and youth being placed in care.
Developing and delivering essential programming
She’s CEO of WOW Support Services, an agency that provides a range of programming in homes, in schools and in communities across the GTA for foster children, including play therapy, physical activities and touch therapy. She also runs programming for young women at risk of human trafficking and is currently developing programming for traffickers called Boys to Men.
And in January 2022, Roberts was licensed for group care and runs an eight-bed residence for children and youth between the ages of 10 and 18 with autism spectrum disorder. She bought the building in 2020 when a former Children’s Aid group home at the address closed.
This summer, she’s planning to open a sensory hair salon at the group home — a service desperately needed by many families — where a youth worker will take care of the child’s sensory needs while the hairdresser works.
“When I started to research what this would look like the emotions that came out of these parents were unbelievable at the thought of having a place where they can take their child to get their hair cut and get their nails done,” she said.
Working to smooth the transition from youth to adult programming
And looking ahead, Roberts is always trying to ensure gaps in the system are filled. She’s now looking to develop adult programs for youth who age out of her current programming.
“I’m hoping for the youth we have in our foster care program and our residential program I can eventually transition them into adult services and keep all of the supports the same, which is huge for kids on the spectrum,” she said, adding the waitlist for adult programming can stretch up to six years.
A proud GBC alumna
Roberts describes herself as a “big advocate of George Brown” and she’s provided work placement opportunities to Child and Youth Care program students throughout her career.
“I can’t speak highly enough about the quality of education at GBC,” she said.
When asked for advice for future graduates, she says you should never be afraid to share your ideas and prioritize self-care.
“Don’t be afraid to think outside the box. That’s what set me apart," she said. “And make sure you take time for self-care. That’s huge. If you’re not mentally well, it’s easy to get burnt out. You’ll be respected for being able to self-reflect and acknowledge that within yourself.”
