Youth Across Canada Need Support

In both the Greater Toronto Area and across Canada, an unprecedented number of our youth are struggling with mental health. The pandemic created many new challenges while exacerbating existing ones. Financial struggles abound with the housing market strangling the dreams of future renters and future homeowners. Climate anxiety is all too real. And with technology advancing, the way that we go about our careers and our social lives is shifting rapidly.

Hope and clarity for the future can be hard to come by, and our youth are suffering the most.

Did you know? Suicide is still the #1 health-related cause of death for young people in Canada?

Source: Jack.org

Jack.org Takes Action Through Conversation

At Hats On For Awareness, our vision is to break down barriers so that more people can access mental health services.

One of the greatest barriers is stigma. Jack.org does incredible work creating safe spaces for conversations that crush that stigma. Jack.org is a leading mental health charity that works alongside youth to build communities and systems that support their mental health. Its vision is to build a world where young people can thrive in mental wellness and where distress becomes a thing of the past.

To date, Hats On has donated more than $125,000 to provide education and advocacy training through Jack.org initiatives.

Training Young Advocates for Mental Health

“I find that developing a tight-knit community with every individual that I met thanks to this program has given me so much, and allowed me to advocate in a way that I could never initially imagine.”

—Samarah, Chapter Lead

When you support Hats On For Awareness, you are making it possible for more youth to engage in a powerful conversation around mental health… A conversation with the intent of saving young lives and a future generation.

Get Involved with Jack.org

Here’s how Jack.org—and by extension the Hats On community—gets youth involved! They have 4 main initiatives.

1. Jack Talks. Mental health presentations delivered by young people (trained and certified youth speakers) to young people, often in schools.
2. Jack Chapters. Groups of young people at schools and community settings across Canada, who work to identify and break down barriers to positive mental health and make concrete change in their communities.
3. The Educator Hub. A vetted collection of resources to help educators bring mental health promotion education to their classrooms through activities, lessons, and a unit plan—all of which align with curriculum guidelines.
4. Be There Certificate. An online course educating participants on how to support someone struggling with their mental health, created by Jack.org in partnership with Born This Way Foundation.

To date, Jack Talks have hosted 73,158 attendees. Of those attendees, 87% say they think more positively about mental health after Jack Talks.

They also have more than 150 active Chapters throughout Canada, and growing, and 10 essential resources available through the Educator Hub library.

“The Be There Certificate is an essential resource for any person looking to strengthen their knowledge about how to support folks in times of stress or struggle, as well as ways to care for ourselves. One of my favourite components of the course is its diversity, not only in the learning content, but also in the ways that different experiences, cultures, bodies, and languages are celebrated throughout the course.”

—Emily Sather, Mental Health Advocate, Disability Support Worker, Soon-to-be Social Worker

Your Support is Squelching That Stigma!

Jack.org is making it easier for more people to engage in mental health discourse.

When you give, you’re participating in the conversation. You’re helping galvanize this powerful way of talking about mental health and providing life-changing resources to youth.

Make A Difference

If you’re interested in bringing further awareness to mental health, you may also want to participate in our Pass The Hat campaign 2024!

From May 6th to 10th, we’ll be posting mental health awareness information on social media and encouraging others to do the same. It’ll be a week of community uniting to offer solidarity, engaging in heartfelt conversations and story sharing, and giving what we can to increase mental health care access. When you put on a hat, share your thoughts, and tag us on your socials that week, you’ll be helping raise awareness so that more of our youth have somewhere to turn in a crisis. Follow us on Instagram or sign up to learn more, today.

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