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Meet the Community Builder of the Year shaping the future of youth mental health 

5 MIN READ

At United Way East Ontario, we know that when you tap into the insights and the powerful voices of youth, amazing things can happen.

That’s why we’re honoured to present our 2024 Community Builder of the Year Award to YouthNet/RéseauAdo: a youth-led mental health promotion and intervention organization making a real difference in the life of local youth 

Across our region, as we continue to emerge from the pandemic, young people are facing significant challenges.  

Nearly half of Ottawa’s students report fair or poor mental health, and two in five young people report wanting to talk to someone about their mental health but not knowing where to turn – a signal that youth are not receiving all the tools they need to feel a strong sense of wellbeing. At a time when the mental health and addictions crisis is at the forefront of our communities, empowering young people as catalysts for better mental wellbeing will mean a healthier future for all of us. 

“It’s really important to touch on youth mental health because without youth, we have nothing. Youth are our future.”

YouthNet / RéseauAdo (YNRA) is a bilingual, for youth by youth, mental-health program at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO).  

YouthNet provides mental health workshops and programs for urban and rural communities across our region. Supported by clinical social workers, youth facilitators aged 20 to 30 encourage open dialogue about mental health and empower young people to take care of themselves, support their friends and loved ones, and seek help when needed. 

YouthNet has been in our community for 30 years,” says Trisha Islam, United Way East Ontario’s Director of All That Kids Can Be. They know what they’re doing, they know what works for young people, but at a time of crisis, we also know that it’s important for young people to lead the charge. And that’s what YouthNet does really well.”  

On October 16, as a gift alongside the Community Builder of the Year Award, our team collaborated with YouthNet’s Youth Advisory Committee and muralist Kseniya Tsoy to create a mural that embodies hope, wellbeing, and life. This artwork now lives in their social work office, serving as a reminder that despite the challenges facing young people, their strength and perseverance shines through, and they have the power to make a difference in the lives of others. 

On October 23, we had the privilege of presenting this award officially and reflecting on YouthNet’s invaluable contributions. 

Watch members from YouthNet discuss their work and what it means for the organization to receive this award: 

Community Builder of the Year in the news

Support from across our region

Uniting to support youth 

Thank you to our supportive community for coming out to celebrate our Community Builder of the Year award recipient. The strength of our community is evident in our collective efforts, highlighting the importance of working together to support youth mental health. 

We were pleased to have Ottawa city councillors Laura Dudas, Glen Gower, and Ariel Troster join us on October 23rd, alongside Dr. Vera Etches, Medical Officer of Health, and the Ottawa Public Health team. Thank you for your advocacy and support of youth mental health initiatives! City of Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe also spoke in support of initiatives that empower youth, and to reinforce the value of Community Builders. 

A special thank you to Ottawa mental health advocate Ryan Forsyth for helping to end the stigma around mental health by sharing his personal story.  

One of the highlights of the evening was the unveiling of the beautiful mural that YouthNet’s Youth Advisory Committee painted together the week prior. This mural shows what can happen when we come together to create something meaningful. 

Thank you, Azure Urban Developments, for making our Community Builder of the Year Award celebration possible and to Top Shelf Distillers for providing cocktails and mocktails for the evening. 

By coming together to celebrate YouthNet, we collectively affirmed our commitment to youth mental health and created an environment where participants felt comfortable sharing what mental health means to them. Thank you to everyone who joined us in this important celebration and for helping to create such a supportive atmosphere. 

Champions of mental wellbeing

United Way East Ontario’s Community Builder of the Year Award brings our community and partners together to celebrate the remarkable work that makes a difference for some of the most vulnerable people in our region.    

Often, young people don’t realize how much power they can have over their own mental health. YouthNet helps youth see that they can be part of the solution.  

The group programs engage youth in mental health education in a way that doesn’t feel like clinical care. Art-based programs to cope with stress, winter physical activity sessions and summer nature exploration help youth learn coping strategies and positive mental health habits in a fun and engaging way.  

“We know that our services are needed, that more services like ours are needed. We do five different workshops on mental health at school boards across Ottawa. We also offer an in-house Youth Advisory Committee, and they give their opinion and feedback to what we could be doing as an organization, as well as what other organizations in the community could be doing to support youth better.”

YouthNet’s volunteer Youth Advisory Committee (YAC) partners with community organizations on mental health projects and plans mental health initiatives, campaigns, and events across East Ontario.  

YouthNet in action: In Fall 2023, United Way East Ontario and project step partnered with YouthNet, youth-serving community organizations, and youth themselves, to host a youth-adult conversation on youth mental health, addictions, and substance use health. In Spring 2024, members of YouthNet’s Youth Advisory Council members and past participants spoke to parents about how they can be there for and support their children. 

“What brings me hope is seeing how much and how many people care. We have a lot of organizations that come here to consult with us and get our opinions.”

Their model has proven so successful that YouthNet has inspired similar programs across Canada and beyond, including the provincewide Réseau Ado Québec. In Ottawa alone, the program has trained 300 facilitators and reaches 5,000 young people each year in Eastern Ontario. 

Building partnerships and driving change

United Way works with YouthNet and many other partners and supporters in the community to strengthen our connections with youth and their families. This makes our work meaningful for the people who need us, at individual, community, and system levels.  

At United Way East Ontario we also:  

  • Invest in parent, child, and youth mental health and substance use counselling, information, and support. 
  • Invest in school readiness and early years programming and lead research to improve graduation rates, mental health, and school performance for vulnerable infants and children. 
  • Participate in and lead networks that help every kid reach their full potential by coordinating advocacy efforts, enhancing programs, and promoting equity, diversity, and inclusion. 
  • Invest in summer achievement gap and STEAM after-school programs to help kids who missed out on learning during the pandemic get back on track with their peers – at low or no cost to their families. 

YouthNet has been a critical voice for shaping conversations about the mental health sector by identifying needs and opportunities, and emphasizing the importance of sustained, integrated youth leadership so that youth can be equal partners in solving the problems that affect them.   

We are so proud to present them with the 2024 Community Builder of the Year Award.  

Discover United Way East Ontario’s Community Builder program.
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