Abbotsford high schools will benefit from the new Speak Up initiative created by the child and youth mental health team at Fraser Health with a $432,000 donation from Coast Capital Savings.
Speak Up is designed to help young people discuss mental health concerns and mental wellness in schools or online as part of a new one-of-a-kind youth-focused online community (mindcheck.ca).
It is estimated that one in five youth in B.C. will be affected by a mental health problem serious enough to cause significant distress and affect their school, home and social lives.
The goal of Speak Up is to get young people speaking openly about mental health and enable them to hear from other young people who have personal experience of mental health and/or substance use problems and have stories of hope to offer.
The Coast Capital Savings donation for the program was made to the Surrey Memorial Hospital Foundation.