Mental Health
Mental Health Education for Daily Living.
Empowering Youth Through Mental Health Education
In 2022, 1 in 4 youth in Canada had been diagnosed with a mental illness (Mental Health and Access to Care Survey 2022, Health Canada analysis).
- Suicide is the second leading cause of death among those aged 15 to 34.
- 70% of mental health issues begin in childhood and adolescence.
- Suicide is the second leading cause of death for Canadians aged 10-24.
- An estimated 1.2 million children are affected by mental health issues.
- Less than 20% of those affected will receive appropriate treatment.
- Today, approximately 5% of male youth and 12% of female youth, age 12 to 19, have experienced a major depressive episode. It is estimated that more than 5% of boys deal with depression but they hide it until too late.
Mental health challenges are increasingly recognized among children and young people, though it’s being recognized, unfortunately much of the focus remains on intervention rather than prevention.
Our Mental Health Education for Daily Living program shifts this narrative by equipping youth with the prevention tools to recognize and protect their emotional well-being. Through a series of thoughtfully designed 18 curriculum lessons, students learn to identify signs of poor mental health and apply strategies to maintain their well-being in daily life.
Reducing Stigma Through Understanding
Our curriculum delivers lessons that are school relevant, educational, age-appropriate information about mental health difficulties to help reduce stigma and discrimination. By fostering open conversations among students, educators, and staff, we aim to normalize discussions about mental health and empower young people to seek support when needed. The curriculum is tailored to meet the specific needs of students across different grades and contexts, ensuring relevance and meaningful impact.
Mentors and Counselors, Building a Culture of Care and Support
At the heart of this program is the creation of a supportive and caring environment where youth feel encouraged to share their concerns with our mentors and counselors. By addressing their unique challenges and promoting self-awareness, we help young people better understand their thoughts and emotions. Our ultimate goal is to equip them with the skills and support necessary to achieve and maintain positive mental health and emotional well-being. The plan is to have this done on a weekly basis and our end goal is to open it up to all schools.
Youth and Parent Group Counselling:
Help Change My City has established that being able to have a group of counselors available to support the youth outside of school hours is very crucial. Young people deal with so many issues outside of the school and the home environment. We have started and continue to develop a program that helps the students have a place to call and connect with mentors and counselors they can relate to when they are going through difficult times or need advice.
This is a new program that provides a place for youth to call when they are thinking about making life decisions, about day to day activities, when they are having depression, anxiety, feeling alone, stressed, and also when they have thoughts about careers and opportunities in life.
With this program we are able to help the youth learn how to make decisions that help them navigate life’s journey and from that they become better leaders of their lives and of the peers around them.