Children’s mental and physical health has been one of the major issues our foundation deals with on a daily basis.
The number of youth that come to our summer camps and after school programs struggling with mental health is alarming. We are working with our partners to lobby for funding and support to ensure the right of every youth to maintain mental health and well-being.
The organization’s goal is to have a program-based mental health program where youth can access services quickly in a less formal, more comfortable setting, avoiding the long waiting lists for mental health services across the province. Immediate availability of counselling services is a critical point in the strength of these programs. On-site mental health workers help youth to explore alternatives to violent behaviour and actively work with them to choose constructive solutions.
Presently our trained volunteers run a program which helps our youth learn the skills of conflict resolution, anger management and peer mediation. These programs have a direct impact in reducing aggressive behaviour and potentially violent incidents.