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Second Thoughts | Kindness: More Than Just Being Nice · Neighbourly: Real Stories of Care and Community

0:01
Talked about reconciliation, and a lot of the churches avoiding
0:05
that were just being nice and saying, well, that's that's all passed. That's not
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who we are now. But that's one of those hard issues that we need
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to recognize and speak out the truth and love so that we can move
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forward. And it's not just being nice to the indigenous
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people. No. We need to be able to sit with our discomfort. To
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even know what kindness looks like, have we asked the question?
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This is Journey with Care, a podcast by Care Impact where curious
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Canadians find inspiration to love others well through real life
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stories and honest conversations.
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What if we've been measuring kindness all wrong? We crave
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the big moments, those grand gestures, but what if the real
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impact of kindness happens in those moments no one sees?
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You know, sometimes we throw an icebreaker question in our interviews just for fun,
0:57
you know, to get the conversation moving, something unexpected
1:01
meant to loosen things up before we get into the deeper stuff. But this
1:05
time with Zach so we're talking about our last episode with
1:08
Zach Mantai. The ripple effects, small acts, big impact.
1:12
We gave Zach this question, if kindness were a mascot,
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what would it be and why? And honestly, we weren't expecting
1:20
anything deep or profound. He was on point. Yeah. Like,
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his answer was a bumblebee, And it kinda drove our conversation
1:27
and it kept coming up in the conversation. He described how bees,
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you know, tiny in size are crucial to the environment, how they pollinate
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other plants, and we wouldn't have plants without them, that sort of thing. And then
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he connected it back to kindness in a way that kinda stopped us in our
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tracks. Kindness works the same way. It's often unnoticed, but over
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time, it transforms communities. And that became the
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perfect metaphor for our episode and our conversation with Zach,
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small, unnoticed, foundational acts of kindness. So today, we're
1:57
gonna lean into that conversation that we had with Zach because the smallest
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acts of kindness are like bees' pollination. I mean, we're not gonna talk about
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pollination here. We're not scientists. We're not gonna get
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into the weeds of that, but you wanna kick us off with what
2:12
your thoughts were on our conversation we just had with Zach. Yeah. There
2:16
were so many thoughts, and in fact, it's been a lingering
2:19
thought as I went on my day and as we're coming into
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here. I have a lot of thoughts on that, but, I did like
2:27
the analogy with the the bumblebee, how many
2:30
acts of kindness. You you don't get a jar of honey just because one bee
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goes to one amazing flower. It's just over and over again.
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It's continuously showing up in those small ways,
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seemingly small ways, but then also that that notion
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of we need to do this together. It's not like
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me doing a bunch of tiny acts makes all the
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difference. It's when I do it in community, when we all work
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in our strengths and and in the opportunities, when we're present in
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these places. So I think there's a lot here that we can unpack
3:03
today. Johan, what what were some things that you were thinking
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of as you left the the podcast? Yeah. There are a few
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things, but going back to that bee analogy, we didn't talk
3:14
about it in the episode, but I was thinking about how bees produce honey,
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not necessarily for everybody else, but it benefits
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everybody else out of their abundance of just doing what they
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do. So like the small acts of kindness,
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it can actually benefit a whole community, not just the person you're being kind
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to. It's out of that abundance of goodness and being kind to others
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that it really benefits the whole community. So that's one thought that came to
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mind that I probably could chimed in on, but, you know, you guys were riffing,
3:43
so I don't wanna interrupt you. We never need conversation starters
3:46
with Zach. We always have things to to talk about, which is a lot of
3:50
fun. Another thing we really dove into was the whole idea
3:54
of anti capitalism, thinking differently about our kindness.
3:58
And it's not always an event that can be measured in
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grandiosity and something that's, like, flashy and wow.
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Sometimes it's fun to do those big deal things, but
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kindness can be in those little unmeasurable things. And how do you
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measure that? And the practicality that I'm sitting with is exactly
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what we were talking about with funders, with our
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donors, with the public. We
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have this need to have some measurables, and I'm not
4:27
against that. I think what we measure matters. But how do
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we measure and how do we quantify or validate
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small acts when they can't always be measured in the
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numeric ways, maybe qualitative ways? But over
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time, we don't have necessarily an instant,
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verification that when that piece of pollen gets brought
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back to the hive, that boom that produces this amount
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of jars of honey, it is something far greater
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and long standing. And so that is something that we
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always have to to wrestle with as nonprofits,
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wanting to perpetuate good and help other people
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do small acts of kindness. And that was definitely one of
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those themes that really popped up for me was how do we measure
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kindness? Like, what's the measuring stick for that? And I see that wrestler
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you're talking with. Like, I like knowing that what I do makes an
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impact. And if you don't see it, like, maybe you'll see it
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over time, but when you don't see it right away, it's really hard to say,
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you know what? I'm really glad I did that. I see the impact when you
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haven't seen that impact. Sometimes that instant gratification motivates us.
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Right? Absolutely. But finding that
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deeper sense of calling, I think, is really important. And we talked about self
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awareness and understanding who we are made in the
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image of God and what God has called us to
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helps us helps me, anyway, show up every
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morning with a smile on my face to do hard things,
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to do it, anyway, even when we have nothing flashy on
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our website. People sometimes think, oh, you're you're the
6:07
organization that has that care portal. You deliver beds. Well, sure,
6:11
we we make sure that the church and the the social services and
6:15
that family sleeping on the floor are connected in a family way in a
6:18
very tangible way. But behind the scenes, there's so many
6:22
other things that we're working on sitting at these tables with government,
6:26
sitting at these denominational meetings and networking, and and
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showing up in these spaces and voicing when we need to, but often just
6:33
listening where we haven't been creating understanding across
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these sectors. That is the hard work, and there is no
6:41
tangible, visible things immediately. We don't
6:44
quickly see contracts being drafted up
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and people quickly wanting to build trust. It's over at that thousand cups of coffee
6:52
of building trust, earning that trust, but showing up
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anyway. But for me, it comes down to that
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need to lean into our calling and who God has
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created us to be in dependency on God to show up anyway,
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that the results ultimately are up to him. That's above my pay grade,
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but I can show up in faithfulness in what God has called me to
7:14
do, and I will do it. I don't have to question the master
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on what he's up to. I know it's part of something much bigger than Care
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Impact, much bigger than myself, but that helps
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me to show up and bring that pollen in one day
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at a time. And while we're motivated by
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impact, sometimes the reality is we're not always gonna see the
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impact. That's right. The reality is sometimes when we invest, there's not gonna
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be any return on investment. Sometimes that bee gets squashed before it can make
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the honey. Right? Yeah. But I think one of the things that
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we don't see is that transformation in us when we do invest.
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When we are kind, like, what's the transformation in us? Not necessarily to
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those around us, but those small acts over and over
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again. It transforms us. And we also have to remember that Jesus,
8:03
he gave up himself without any return. The only thing we can
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give him is our voluntary love and affection, and it's something that he doesn't even
8:11
need. It's something he desires, but it's not something that he needs. He gave
8:14
his whole life just for our benefit without
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having anything in return. Yeah. %. And it brings
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us back to that that passage in Matthew 25. Those small acts
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kind of when did we give you that glass of water? When did we visit
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you in your prison? These seemingly unnoticeable things in society
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that people are like, when I do that in the name of Jesus,
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it's not so that I can become a a spiritual superpower,
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but as I just show up and be who God has created me
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to be and act in kindness and in natural unseen
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ways, I encounter Christ in those
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moments. I have an encounter with Christ that
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changes me, maybe not because I went to prison and I
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volunteered one time, but it's because I keep showing up.
9:03
It's because I keep doing what God has called me to do. And I
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think that is the challenge, not looking for that instant gratification. Oh, now
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we've gone on a mission trip, so now we've experienced Jesus and live off of
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that. It's like, no. How do we keep showing up? How do we
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see Christ in those everyday moments? And how is it changing
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and challenging us to be more like him. So let's talk a
9:26
little bit about those small gestures versus the
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large grand gestures and the impact of
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those. I know, like, for me, like, I've been in ministry for quite
9:37
a while, and I have to fundraise for a lot of that.
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So, like, some people decide not to give it all because
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they can't give that hundred dollars a month. They're like, well,
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I can't I can't afford a hundred dollars a month, so I'm just not gonna
9:52
give anything because that's embarrassing to give that $10. Trying to tell
9:56
people, you know what? Just you being behind me, that $510 a
10:00
month, whatever you can afford, like, that means a whole lot to me. If if
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we can get a hundred people doing that, that makes a huge difference. And I
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mean, that's just a monetary example. But just thinking about those
10:11
small gestures, how they can really add up to make a big difference. Did you
10:15
have any thoughts on that? Yeah. Well, it immediately brings me back to scripture
10:18
again that widow's mite. I love the irony of
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that where there's people giving these large amounts and I imagine
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them almost like the modern day big checks and and these
10:29
political moments where we take these checks. And no offense to those
10:33
opportunities. Those are grand moments. However, Jesus
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is is flipping the the script here and says, if
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you give like this this widow, that is what I'm
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desiring. It's in the little things, but it's also not just because, oh,
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don't don't all just give Johan two pennies now even though we don't have
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pennies or a tunie, just because, oh, it's it's so scriptural.
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But she gave of what she had, and she gave sacrificially.
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And what sacrifices for me, might be different
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than for you, Johan. For me right now in the in the lifestyle
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that I have with the family and the the dynamics that that
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I am called to right now,
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giving two hours to have a cup of coffee with somebody is
11:18
my might. It it's something that's sacrificial. I have to adjust myself
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so that I can show up and be present in that. We can ask ourselves,
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what is not just giving out of the excess that we have,
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but what is giving even if it feels so tiny?
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What is giving sacrificially? Because we
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we want to be in those spaces. We're give God loves a
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cheerful giver. God loves when we act in justice and mercy,
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not out of compulsion, not because we have to out of
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a religious obligation. But when we come in a posture of
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generosity, it's not the dollar amount. It's not
11:57
the big acts or the outcome that needs to be,
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like, so flashy. It's what is it that we're doing
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and what God is calling us to do and do it sacrificially.
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And sacrifice sometimes is something that we we have a hard time
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with, particularly in the middle and upper class. We can give out of
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our comfort. We can we can do things out of philanthropy,
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and that is almost an exertion of power, Yohan. Like, where I have this disposable
12:24
time. I I can hire this. I have a vehicle. And out of
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vehicle. And out of that, I am empowered. I have this margin
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where maybe people in underprivileged capacities
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don't have that privilege to do. And so we give out of our excess, and
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we haven't really given out of sacrifice. Whereas the person that's
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living on the street and yet they still give the other person in the
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bus shelter their $5, I venture to say Jesus
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would have made a parable out of that one. And sometimes it's not
12:55
looking at what's gonna be a sacrifice. It's just being obedient to what you feel
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the lord is asking you to do. And quite often, those two things align.
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So sometimes sacrifice and obedience are the same thing, but I don't
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wanna stand before the Lord and have
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him ask, hey, remember that time I told you to give? And
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me just say, yeah, I wasn't listening or I wasn't paying attention
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or that was gonna hurt too much. Mhmm. Like, I don't wanna be
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in that situation. So really, I don't know if it's a balanced thing
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or just having that generous heart that's willing to give to any need
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that arises. I mean, I remember how Paul said it. He's like, I
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wish I had enough to give for every good work. And
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I kinda I kinda want that mindset. It's like, if there's a good work in
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front of me, I wanna be able to give to that. I might not always
13:43
have something monetary to give, but how can I support that good work that is
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in front of me? Yeah. And I think sometimes it's more natural
13:51
than we think, and and we sometimes minimize what that small act
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that comes so naturally to you, Johan, what a gift it is to
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society, and how selfish it would be for us to to contain
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it. And it's almost like a false sense of humility of, like, oh, I
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little old me. I have nothing to give. But, no, you showing
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up with all that you are in obedience,
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we underestimate the impact of
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what you have to offer in those situations that might be
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the right word or the right action or the right presence
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that that other person needed, and we minimize what
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God can do through little things that
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he wants to do. And and we don't have to know the agenda that God
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he doesn't owe that to me. He asked me just to show up and to
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be present. So that should be a liberation, news for
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us, news of liberation. I I think of the quote. I just
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quickly looked it up here, from Saint Francis of Assisi
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saying, start by doing what is necessary. That thing
14:55
in front of us that God kind of, like, nudges us and says,
14:59
like, go help that person cross the street or whatever it is. It could be
15:02
so random. But start by doing what is necessary, then do
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what is possible, and suddenly, you are doing the
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impossible. And this is a man of God. This is somebody that
15:13
was surrendered unto to Christ, but saying, just start
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with doing what is necessary, then do what is possible,
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what God expands our horizons. See the loaves and fishes
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expand. I don't know. It started with loaves and fishes, and
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then suddenly you are doing the impossible. And I think sometimes we
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start off wrong. We think little old me, what could that little act
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of kindness or that posture of kindness really contribute
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to this massive situation? And we feel like
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we've minimized it. And yet, we have limited
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God for what the miracles we are a part of. Whether we see
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that before our eyes, if we ever hear of the account of what that
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meant to that stranger on the bus, we may never know.
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But let's not limit the miracles of God based out of acts
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and postures of kindness.
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And Saint Francis was I believe he was the patron saint of
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animals, So he probably knew all about the bees. He probably loved the
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bees. He probably loved the bees. And, like, we're not just
16:18
talking about monetary gifts and acts of
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service, but the core of what we're talking about is kindness. Mhmm. And
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if you think about kindness, it's really not much of a
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sacrifice to be kind to one another. Yeah. But but you know
16:33
what? I was left with thinking after our last episode with Zach, and we
16:37
just didn't get there, but I'm sure I would have loved to add it into
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the conversation. So I'll put it in here, and maybe you have some some thoughts
16:44
on it. There's a difference between kindness and being
16:47
nice. Because I think sometimes we equate them
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as as long as I'm just being nice to people, we
16:54
are avoiding truth telling. We are avoiding
16:59
brave love in those situations, and nice does
17:03
not make a ripple effect. It actually it helps to keep things
17:07
still because we're we're scared of making a ripple effect. We're
17:10
scared of, like, rocking the boat, and we're scared of
17:14
offending people, and we're scared of feeling discomforted. So we're just gonna
17:18
be nice. It's we can be avoidant with that. Whereas
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I think kindness, we can still speak the
17:25
truth in love. We can we can still have boundaries
17:29
without enabling people. We can care for the marginalized
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like that good Samaritan showing kindness through action,
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not just good intentions alone. It's not good
17:40
vibes only. Like, he took action in that, and it
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is actively caring for the marginalized, not just giving a little
17:47
token, but not looking them in the eye and being kind. Right?
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And Jesus warns against that performative kindness
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because it's sort of like the politically correct thing to do,
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maybe a virtue signaling, see, look, I I'm that person
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that that cares for fill in the blank.
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Kindness can be subtle. It doesn't have to be seen,
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but niceness can enable harm. I I think if we could
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just if I could have one message to the church, stop being so nice
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and get to the root of the issue. Stop getting so nice and
18:21
and see the elephants in the sanctuary because that's where kindness
18:24
can grow. But let's not just skirt around everything. And
18:28
there's kind ways to handle truth. There's kind ways to handle
18:32
conflict. There's kind ways to do hard things, and it's
18:36
in subtle postures of I'm not gonna avoid it. I'm not gonna
18:40
put my head in the sand, but we are going to choose to
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kindly work through these things. Just not saying,
18:47
hi. How are you? Oh, good. Good. How are you? Like, that's being
18:51
nice. Okay. My rant is over. What are your thoughts?
18:55
Yes. That plasticky niceness that I don't think
18:59
that is being kind. I think that's probably doing the opposite because
19:03
kindness is speaking truth in love. Mhmm.
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And if we're avoiding the truth of of a situation, if we're avoiding
19:10
the hard things, that's not kind. No. It's
19:14
kindness to speak out truth so that we can journey on
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ahead in love. Well and I wonder if we come across
19:22
in in the the church sector being nice to people comes
19:26
across could come across a bit like a used car salesman.
19:29
We'll we'll tell you what you wanna hear. We're gonna give you that complimentary
19:34
gross cup of coffee. We're gonna do what we can because we wanna make the
19:38
sale. Now if we transfer that, we wanna see that person in
19:41
distress. We wanna see them saved. Right? But how are we
19:45
and I'm not saying we'd be jerks about it and just, like, oh, like,
19:49
whatever. But being truthful and honest and
19:52
being present, it's not even just calling them out on sin. It's not
19:56
even about that. It's creating belonging and presence and kindness
20:00
without simply enabling so that we when we make the
20:04
sale. And sometimes niceness can be transactional
20:07
because we have a a a greater motive of something we want, and we think
20:11
if we're just nice to them, then maybe they will change. I
20:15
do believe I can sniff out a used car salesman,
20:19
and that does not sniff like good news to me. I
20:23
I would much rather people be honest. Let's let's bring it to the car
20:27
analogy. I want somebody to say, you know what? This vehicle did have an
20:30
accident. We fixed it up. However, we're gonna
20:34
just, like, check into the motor to make sure that everything is running.
20:38
I want them to be honest and kind. I will build trust that
20:41
way rather than them telling me what I wanna hear. And I think that's why
20:45
a lot of the world avoids the church because they often will
20:49
say the church feels so fake. And they're they're
20:52
avoiding the issues. I mean, this whole first season of Journey with Care, we talked
20:56
about reconciliation with the indigenous people.
20:59
And a lot of the church is avoiding that. We're just being nice and saying,
21:03
well, that's that's all passed. That's that's not who we are now.
21:06
But that's one of those hard issues that we need to recognize
21:10
and speak out the truth and love so that we can move forward.
21:14
And it's not just being nice to the indigenous people. No.
21:18
We need to be able to sit with our discomfort to even know
21:21
what kindness looks like. Have we asked the question,
21:25
what would kindness look like? Right now, we're they just
21:29
discovered the bodies, that were missing, the murdered and missing,
21:33
the two women. They just discovered the bodies in the landfill. Now
21:37
how how tragic for one? But what how
21:40
what is our response in our own backyard here in Winnipeg? What what is
21:44
the response of the church? How how are we gonna reach out
21:48
to those aunties, their children, the people in the community that are
21:52
most affected? How do we show kindness
21:56
in this situation? And what is that posture? Or we just kinda
21:59
kinda block it out and say, okay. Well, it didn't affect me.
22:03
I feel like we we skirt around. We we can walk on the
22:07
other side of the road, so to speak, on a lot of political issues,
22:11
a lot of cultural issues, a lot of historical pain. And let's
22:15
face it.
22:20
It doesn't resolve itself because we just move on. We have to
22:24
actually, have a posture of kindness towards
22:28
reconciliation in the moment. It's having that cup of coffee. It's It's having that cup
22:31
of coffee. It's having those conversations. It's going into hard
22:35
places that make me uncomfortable, but that
22:38
is kindness to say, what is it that I need to hear, and how
22:42
can I respond? We don't have to be answers. We need to have a
22:45
humble approach to that is kindness. Yeah. I wanna see
22:49
the church come to the point where we're provoking those outside
22:53
the church to wanna be in the church because of our kindness.
22:57
Mhmm. And it's that's not the way it is. Like, even the parable of the
23:00
good Samaritan that you bring up, he was not a god follower.
23:05
Like, the good Samaritan was not a Christian in in that scenario, but
23:08
he's the one that offered kindness. And that's the one Jesus pointed us
23:12
to saying, look what the good Samaritan did while the priest walked
23:16
by and did nothing. Mhmm. So, like, where can the church
23:20
become like the good Samaritan where we're provoking others
23:23
to wanna be part of what God's building in his kingdom?
23:27
Yeah. And I think that is a script that's playing itself out in real
23:31
time right now, Johan, as we're, navigating
23:35
how do we Canadianize the care portal platform, which is a care sharing
23:39
technology that connects a web, an ecosystem,
23:43
it's beautiful, of service providers and churches and
23:46
businesses to be able to collectively, care
23:50
in meaningful ways in ways there those in community
23:53
that are in hard places are advocating for, and we can come alongside and work
23:57
with them. But one of the challenges that I think we come up
24:01
against collectively as the church is not pointing out a church. It's
24:05
it's kind of universal. Is if it's not our program,
24:09
if it's not us initiating the kindness, is
24:12
it meaningful? How do we track that? Because now we're
24:16
not saying, okay. We're doing a a food bank or we're gonna provide the
24:20
mattresses or we do a a backpack drive as if we take the
24:24
initiative, we're actually now responsive to
24:28
the community member that says, you know what? I'm sleeping on the floor and my
24:31
social worker, and I need to find a solution so we
24:35
can keep our family together. Now the church can respond
24:39
to that, but it it's flipping the switch on
24:43
kindness because now we're not in control. We're responsive.
24:47
So sometimes I will have people say, well, does that youth really
24:50
need a smartphone? I I like, I really wanna help
24:54
them, and I feel like I'm enabling them because kids these days are
24:58
on on phones too much. And this is a real case and scenario.
25:02
Case in point. And yet when we talk to the social
25:05
worker who is working deeply with this youth who is aging out of care
25:09
and saying, you know what? This is their only way to get that job.
25:13
It's their only way to secure that apartment. So this is the
25:17
starting ground. So I think kindness, we have
25:20
to release some control. When we we give something, we
25:24
don't have to make sure that they're free of addictions. We don't have to be
25:28
sure of how they're gonna use it. We need to release that and not look
25:31
out at their outcomes as much as our posture to
25:35
respond because that youth needs
25:39
that. They should be able to voice that. And and even though it's
25:43
vetted by by the agency, we shouldn't have to second
25:46
guess that. We should do it. Don't let one hand know what the
25:50
other one is giving. Hasn't to the Lord. And and I think if it was
25:54
a modern day Matthew 25, he was saying, when did you give me a cell
25:57
phone? Right? And yet that's what
26:01
the posture he's he's inviting us to when we
26:05
respond to care portal opportunities. When did we serve you?
26:08
And that's when he will say, well done, good and faithful servant.
26:12
You gave of what you had. You were obedient with the little. Now
26:16
I can trust you with more. So there's a lot of
26:20
tensions and wrestlings in this conversation, but I think we're just gonna leave it there
26:23
and let our listeners wrestle with it. Mhmm. We'd love to hear your feedback.
26:27
Yeah. My challenge would be, like, what does it look like to embrace kindness in
26:31
a daily rhythm rather than a project? Mhmm. Rather than a
26:35
specific need, what does it look like to embrace kindness in a daily
26:38
rhythm? But we're gonna leave it at that. And now it's time for
26:44
alright, Wendi. We are in our care lingo segment where we demystify
26:48
these terms and phrases that we use in the caring
26:52
circles. Today, our word is permanency
26:56
planning. Now we had a few people chime in on the Care
27:00
Impact podcast group, and I encourage our listeners to go
27:03
visit and become a member so that you can also chime
27:07
in. The word today is permanency planning. What did
27:11
some of our group have to say? Well, we had one person
27:14
respond. Kathy responded saying, is it coaching
27:18
someone how to buy a house? So I guess, like,
27:22
finding a house is like a permanent, not a a
27:25
rental situation. So maybe coaching. That's what one person thought.
27:30
And then my mom chimed in, and she thought it might be birth control.
27:34
I don't know what that means. If that's the first thing that came to
27:37
your mind and you're listening to your son's podcast, I don't know. Are you
27:41
the youngest? I well, unless you consider the
27:45
50 foster children that they've had. I am the physic I am the
27:49
homemade youngest. Yes. So you you kind of ended the the
27:53
birth order there. You were her permanency planning. It's like no more
27:56
after after Johan. Now in true Johan
28:00
fashion, I have two definitions that I might think what
28:04
permanency planning means. Okay. Knowing that my
28:07
son is almost 19 years old, you know, it's making sure your kid
28:11
finally moves out when they're 30. This is permanency planning.
28:15
You know, planning for them to move out before it
28:19
gets really weird. Okay. My other definition?
28:23
Okay. Now Danica, my
28:27
my daughter at 25 years old,
28:31
carefully choosing that tattoo, so that thirty
28:35
to forty years from now, thirty to forty years, that it still looks decent.
28:39
Like, you don't wanna get that slinky tattoo and then your skin
28:42
starts to sag, all it. Sagging. And then all of a sudden, your slinky is
28:46
having motion every time you walk around, you know? You don't
28:50
want that. So you need permanency planning for your tattoos.
28:53
And I encourage our listeners, whatever the real definition of
28:57
permanency permanency planning is, do it for your
29:01
tattoos for sure because no one wants to say that. Like to challenge you, Yo,
29:04
and you should get a matching one with your daughter. That would be real bonding.
29:08
Yeah. I don't know if I could get a tattoo. I don't know if I
29:11
can do that. You're closer to saggy than she is.
29:14
Exactly. Although, at least I would I would know what it looks like
29:18
in ten years from now because it's probably already there. Yeah. Mhmm.
29:22
Anyway, what's our real definition of permanency planning? You probably have some good insight into
29:26
this one. Well, been around the sun a few times and,
29:30
a few adoptions later and fostering. So permanency
29:33
planning is often used in social service lingo when
29:37
social workers are creating case plans for the well-being
29:41
of children. And so it's a child centered approach in saying, what
29:45
is in the best interest of the child? And we all know permanency,
29:49
matters for a child, that sense of security that they are are
29:53
in a stable living environment. And it could be,
29:57
returning home safely from foster care so that they
30:01
have a a plan going permanently back home. It could be a
30:04
reunification. It could be just a prevention from families
30:09
separating due to crisis that they they create a permanency plan.
30:13
It could be adoption or a kinship,
30:16
customary care placement. It can mean a lot of things, but,
30:20
ultimately, it means how do we create stability for the well-being
30:24
of of a child. So there you go. Permanency
30:27
planning. Alright. There you have it. And one practical way, for permanency
30:31
planning is getting involved with Care Portal.
30:35
Correct? That is right. So a lot of plans
30:38
in the works. Of course, we aren't a case management
30:42
system. Care portal simply advocates for those needs
30:46
that support a lot of things that we, we advocate
30:50
for through the portal. Our churches are responding to it. And did you
30:53
know, side note here, Johan, over a thousand children have been served on the
30:57
portal just here in Canada so far, in this pilot.
31:01
But majority of those are permanency planning in
31:04
helping families, biological families
31:08
stay together. Well, there you have it. Not only did we give you
31:12
a definition, we gave you a way to actually get involved. So,
31:16
head over to careimpact.ca to get more information, and we'd love to get
31:20
that to you. And if you wanna join our Facebook podcast group, we would love
31:23
for you to come join us there. But until next time,
31:27
remember to stay curious. Thank you for joining
31:30
us on Journey with Care. To get more information on weekly episodes,
31:34
upcoming opportunities, or to connect with our community, visit
31:38
journeywithcare.ca, or find Care Impact on Facebook and
31:42
Instagram, or just check the show notes for these links and all the
31:45
links related to this episode. Share your thoughts, leave us a
31:49
message, and be part of a network of individuals journeying in faith and
31:52
purpose. Together, let's discover how we can make a meaningful
31:56
impact.