I’m worried about the youth mental health crisis. How can I make sure my child feels heard and supported? By Gayle Browne, Director, Clinical Operations, Kids Help Phone
T
he youth mental health crisis—it’s a topic that strikes fear into the heart of every parent. It doesn’t matter if your child is a few hours old or a few decades old; every parent wants to know their kid is happy, healthy and safe. But in a world where young people are constantly exposed to crisis after crisis—war, climate change, recessions, natural disasters— and where mental health supports can be difficult to find, how can we help our children not only cope, but thrive? As director of clinical operations at Kids Help Phone, Canada’s only 24/7 e-mental
health service for young people, I have some suggestions to offer that may be helpful. But first, I want to share some good news for every parent out there: Kids Help Phone has just announced the largest movement for youth mental health in Canada’s history. A $300 million movement to transform youth mental health
On March 2, we officially launched Feel Out Loud—a national movement to raise $300 million for Kids Help Phone, with a goal to reach young people in every corner of Canada by 2024.
The achievement of our campaign goal will mean that young people in every part of the country—maybe even your child, should they ever need us—will always have a place to turn to where they can feel heard and supported. We’re already well on our way to being there for all 8.5 million young people in Canada. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic alone, we’ve had an incredible 14 million interactions with young people from coast to coast to coast, and that number grows every single day. And we know they trust us: a full 71% have told us they’ve shared something with bcparent.ca • summer issue 2023 9