Are You(th) Okay?
The power of youth-centred stories
Have you or a youth you care for been struggling with mental health? It’s time to listen.
Did you know that 70% of mental health problems start young and have been rising sharply, starting at younger ages, for the past two decades in Canada? And yet, less than 20% receive the support they need. And with mental health hospitalization rates doubling since the COVID-19 pandemic, the most alarming changes in incidence are seen with suicide and eating disorders.
Acute hospital care is often the first mental health support received and represents the largest proportion of health care costs, often with repeat visits. The biggest cost however is that it leaves children, youth, and their families and caregivers feeling alone, frustrated, misunderstood, and untrusting in our healthcare system.
Join us to listen, learn, and grow from Lived Youth Mental Health Experiences and Challenges on November 26th , from 10:30am -12:00pm at the NE location of Families Matter.
The Child and Youth Mental Health (CYMH) Group from the Imagine Citizens Network (ICN), along with The Perlin Foundation for Wellbeing, will be hosting an Open-Minded Chat event on November 26th, at the northeast location of Families Matter (3404 25 Street NE). Anita Simon and Katelyn Greer from ICN will be screening two digital stories based on their lived experiences with the mental health system, hosting an interactive panel, conducting a live Q&A, and providing tips on how to better support youth mental health.
Digital stories help open conversations around mental health that are often difficult to have and frequently ignored. While each story is unique to the storyteller’s experiences, lessons learned from unique youth patient-centred stories can add value and understanding that can be applied to personal relationships, workplaces, and communities. It can also inform current and future health providers and systems how to provide better care for children, youth, and their caregivers.
Imagine Citizens Network
If you are a current or future health care provider, social services professional, or a nonprofit or corporate group interested in hearing more about children and youth mental health experiences, as told by our youth, we would love to connect with you. Email us to learn more: info@imaginecitizens.ca. Let’s talk and make sure our youth are okay.
Panelist Bios
Anita Simon
CYMH – Imagine Citizens Network
Anita Simon has over 20 years of experience in health research, education, and management from academic, government, and industry sectors and holds a PhD in Nutrition. Her personal story begins with the struggles she encountered navigating and accessing mental health care services for her young daughter.
This led her on a journey to become a patient advocate supporting youth mental health and to co-create Calgary Silver Linings Foundation, a non-profit that expands care for those suffering from eating disorders and their affected families. Anita is a strong advocate for child mental health and is passionate about supporting and improving the mental health care and strength of children and their families. She currently serves on the Family Steering Committee for Children’s Healthcare Canada, Albertans 4 Health Research Council, the Patient Advisory Network, and the Child and Youth Mental Health (CMYH) group of Imagine Citizens Network (ICN) in Alberta, Canada.
Katelyn Greer
The Power of Youth-Centred Stories Imagine Citizens Network/ CYMH
Katelyn is a suicide attempt survivor and mental health advocate. She has living and lived expertise with mental health concerns, the mental health system, foster care system, and beyond. Katelyn now works in research, knowledge translation, and knowledge mobilization, surrounding child and youth mental health. Katelyn also practices child, youth, and family Peer Support. Lived and living experience is Katelyn’s passion. She hopes this continues to inspire people to share their own lived experience and further push for it to be heard and integrated into the broader mental health system.
