Health & Wellness

Youth and Mental Health Initiative (YMHI)

Our YMHI initiative aims to improve access to mental health resources and services for young English-speaking Quebecers (15-29) in order to better meet their needs, especially those exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

2021-2024

Access to mental health resources & services for Quebec’s English-speaking youth

Selected organizations are developing and implementing regional and local strategies, as well as fostering collaboration to provide innovative community-based mental health strategies to young English-speaking Quebecers aged 15-29.

We’re also engaging selected provincial organizations and supporting them in the development and execution of mental health resources and projects.

YMHI is guided by 6 principles:

Support Positive Youth Development

Engage youth within their communities, schools, organizations, peer groups, and families in a manner that’s productive and constructive to foster positive relationships and resiliency skills.

Enhance Protective Factors

Protective factors are individual or environmental conditions that reduce the effects of stressful life events. These factors also increase an individual’s ability to avoid risks, and promote social and emotional competence to thrive in all aspects of life.

Community-based & Flexible

Projects will always be community-based, community-paced, and use community-led approaches. They will also be flexible in recognizing the differences in communities, as well as the changing needs and circumstances of youth from one region to another.

Strive for Equity, Equality & Accessibility

Youth, regardless of their culture, language, or socio-economic status, are entitled to opportunities to help them develop and reach their full potential. Projects will be sensitive to the realities of English-speaking youth who may face multiple conditions of risk and barriers to accessing support.

Build Intersectoral Partnerships

Intersectoral partnerships and collaborative activities are essential to the development of holistic, coordinated, and sustainable mental health projects for Quebec’s youth.

Engage Mental Health Professionals & Service Providers

To ensure quality, safety and integration with existing mental health services, projects will engage mental health professionals/service providers and involve them in the design and delivery of projects.