One of the biggest healthcare concerns across the 705 is access to mental health services. On June 20th, the Ontario government announced a new Youth Wellness Hub for young people to connect to mental health and substance use services in Thunder Bay and surrounding areas. This is one of 10 new hubs the government is adding to the network of 22 hubs already opened since 2020, bringing the total to 32 across the province.
This past May, a Mental Health Symposium in Parry Sound gathered educators, mental health professionals, caregivers, and concerned community members with the goal of sharing ideas that attendees could take back into the community to better support youth with mental health challenges. Ten guest speakers who are experts in a variety of mental health fields led the groups in discussions on issues like ending the stigma associated with mental health, protecting yourself from burnout, and fostering kindness and empathy.
Event founders Colleen McLean, owner of Sound Youth Counselling, and Terry-Lynn Stevens, founder of The Doc Rob Fund, came together to coordinate the event, which attracted 125 participants. Both brought deeply personal experiences to the event. In addition to her own work, Colleen works very closely with a number of agencies in Parry Sound to support kids in crisis. Terry-Lynn’s husband, Rob Stevens, took his own life. Their message is a simple one – be kind.
705BLACKFLY.COM was commissioned to produce a video about the event. We spoke to a number of participants, and they spoke frankly about the growing challenges that kids face today. With permission from Colleen and Terry-Lynn, we are posting the video on our website. This is a critical issue, and we hope that everyone will be inspired to help the kids in their lives.
