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April 2025 Update
Youth are more likely to connect with and confide in other youth when talking about mental health and suicide. Peers with similar mental health experiences have a shared understanding from an adolescent perspective and are seen as a trusted source of support.
“It would be nice to be able to help my friends feel better.” (Youth at April 2024 Focus Group)
In April 2024, over thirty youth attended a focus group at Clareview Recreation Centre to voice their experiences with and understanding of mental health. They shared that some of their current coping strategies included social interactions such as sports, talking with friends, or playing video games. When asked why their friends played such an important role in their mental health, they responded that their friends were aware of what they were going through and had similar experiences. Youth then identified what they felt would be helpful in promoting youth mental health in their own lives and communities, with responses such as:
Young people may be reluctant to ask for mental health support due to social stigma or perceived judgment from adults or professionals. Peers offer understanding in ways that adults are not able to. By offering care and compassion, Wellness Ambassadors can create a safer space for conversations about mental health and suicide and help young people build supportive relationships with peers. These relationships promote mental well-being over time by increasing youth’s natural supports.
What Makes This Project Unique Youth are the authorities on their own experiences. Their voice and guidance are the driving force behind how Youth Connect is created and executed. The project will be leaning on the strengths and talents of its participants, while constantly adapting to their self-identified needs. Respect for youth knowledge and experiences and flexibility in the process and content are core tenets of our approach. By project wrap-up in Summer 2026, Youth Connect could look very different than it does now – it entirely depends on the youth!
What Makes This Project Unique
Youth are the authorities on their own experiences. Their voice and guidance are the driving force behind how Youth Connect is created and executed. The project will be leaning on the strengths and talents of its participants, while constantly adapting to their self-identified needs. Respect for youth knowledge and experiences and flexibility in the process and content are core tenets of our approach. By project wrap-up in Summer 2026, Youth Connect could look very different than it does now – it entirely depends on the youth!
Project Description
The C5 Youth Connect Project is a comprehensive initiative designed to empower youth and agency staff to take an active role in promoting mental health and well-being within their communities, with the long-term goal of reducing youth suicide. The project is aimed at the “Prevention” stage of the Suicide Prevention Continuum and aims to “increase protective factors and instill hope by promoting mental wellness, building resiliency, reducing stigma, and building supportive environments” (Building Strength, Inspiring Hope: A Provincial Action Plan for Youth Suicide Prevention 2019 to 2024, page 16).
The project is led by Cheyanne Welch (Project Coordinator) in collaboration with the C5 agencies. Design and implementation will be strengths-based and draw on the Search Institute’s research-based 40 Developmental Assets Framework. There are three main components to the project, working together to create a network of support for youth mental health within north Edmonton.
Wellness Ambassador – Recruitment and Training
Approximately thirty youth from diverse backgrounds are being recruited from the C5 agencies to become mental health Wellness Ambassadors within their own communities. The Project Coordinator works with the Wellness Ambassadors to identify strengths and gaps in their knowledge and skills surrounding mental health and suicide and coordinates relevant training opportunities for them. Examples of training topics may include how to talk to peers about mental health, recognizing warning signs for mental health and suicide, and available community resources for mental health. Wellness Ambassadors will be accessible to their peers through places youth already gather and spend time, such as schools, community centers, and online.
Agency Staff Training
To increase the C5 agencies’ capacity to support youth mental health, approximately twenty staff from each C5 agency who do not have previous or formal mental health training but who may interact with youth as part of their work receive training to identify early warning signs of suicide, provide empathetic support to youth, and effectively intervene in crisis situations. The Project Coordinator conducts needs assessments with the agencies to identify and coordinate the types of training appropriate for each agency based on their work, target population, and current gaps in skills or training.
Youth Connect Network
A Youth Connect meeting is held about once a month for the Wellness Ambassadors and youth interested in becoming Wellness Ambassadors. These meetings, facilitated by Cheyanne (Project Coordinator) and Daniel Loki (C5 Clareview Hub), are guided by the interests and self-identified needs of the participants, but generally consist of fun activities, continued training, and opportunities to discuss mental health together in a safe, inclusive space. Meetings are held at varying locations around Edmonton, and on varying days/times, to be accessible for the most Wellness Ambassadors possible.
The Project Coordinator also works with the Youth Connect Network to identify gaps in mental health awareness, knowledge or support in the participants’ communities. With guidance and mentorship from the Project Coordinator, Wellness Ambassadors work to address these gaps through youth-led events, projects, or campaigns.
Logistics
This project is funded by the Government of Alberta through the Youth Suicide Prevention Grant Program. It supports implementation of Building Strength, Inspiring Hope: A Provincial Action Plan for Youth Suicide Prevention 2019 to 2024. The grant period is from August 1, 2024 to July 31, 2026.
This project is conducted in collaboration with the C5 agencies.
Project planning and participant recruitment will be conducted between October and December 2024. Training and Youth Connect meetings are expected to commence January 2025.
Evaluation of this project is supported by Deanna Marler, Health Promotion Facilitator with Alberta Health Services, and Dianna Fondo, Research and Planning Officer with Alberta Health Services. Continuous evaluation will be conducted on a monthly basis to determine program accessibility and equity. A summative evaluation to determine project effectiveness will be conducted in Summer 2026.
The Project Coordinator is Cheyanne Welch, MPH. She can be reached at cwelch@terracentre.ca or via text or call at 368-882-1256.
First, with childminding presenting a larger barrier than previously expected, recruitment of young parents (who require childminding) has been paused. We hope to begin a group in the fall specific to young parents where their childminding needs are met, and the meetings are more accessible by being incorporated into current Terra Centre programming.
Second, having varying dates, times, and locations for the younger age group was presenting a challenge for both logistics and obtaining guardian consent for participation. To overcome these barriers, and to provide more inclusive participation options for youth accessing North Edmonton programming in C5, Youth Connect for Ages 14-17 will be embedded in the youth programming offered by the C5 Hub at Clareview Recreation Centre. Meetings will be held at the Rec Centre on the second Thursday of each month from 1 pm to 3:30 pm and youth can drop-in to participate. Due to changing to a drop-in program, gift cards will not be offered to these youth. If youth in this age range are already registered as Wellness Ambassadors and attend for at least two hours, they will get a gift card. The first meeting for this age group is May 8, 2025. They do not need to register for Youth Connect but will need to be registered with C5 to use the drop-in programming. To register with C5, youth can get a registration form from the Clareview Rec C5 front desk.
Our second monthly meeting for Wellness Ambassadors aged 18-25 was held on April 7, 2025 at Terra Centre for Teen Parents. We played Uno, ate pizza, and learned about ways to become more aware of our own mental health (self check-in’s) and to calm ourselves when we are feeling overwhelmed or upset (grounding). Youth feedback showed that they specifically enjoyed learning about how walking and mindful breathing can reduce stress and anxiety.
To promote youth recruitment from Bent Arrow Traditional Healing Society, an engagement event was held on April 16. The group played mental health Jenga and then used handprints to show what needs to be “held onto” and what needs to be “let go of” to have good mental health. Two youth found the event enjoyable and want to become Wellness Ambassadors!
Our first needs assessment was held on March 31 with the teaching staff at Braemar School, all of whom work with Terra Centre participants in tangent with Terra Centre staff. Their feedback was invaluable to adapting the needs assessment process for future sessions.
Registrations for the staff needs assessments have officially closed. We successfully registered 90 staff, which was 75% of our target for participation. After needs assessments are completed in May, qualitative data analysis will help us arrange appropriate training opportunities.
The act of breathing impacts our autonomic nervous system: inhaling activates our sympathetic system (energizing), and exhaling activates our parasympathetic system (relaxing). You can use simple breathing to balance your nervous system. If you are feeling detached or apathetic, you can activate the energizing sympathetic system by breathing in deeply and letting it out quickly (like a sigh). If you are feeling anxious or angry, you can activate the relaxing parasympathetic system by breathing in quickly and letting it out slowly (like blowing up a balloon or blowing out birthday candles).
Tip: Use focused breathing on your own, with a youth, or with a co-worker to balance the nervous system and either energize or relax the body to meet the situation appropriately.Source: https://www.hamiltonhealthsciences.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/PRN-balancing-the-nervous-system.pdf
Because the project entered the implementation phase, Cheyanne joined the Mental Health Team at Terra Centre for Teen Parents to better support her in the subject material of mental health and suicide prevention. This means her supervisor has shifted from Karen Mottershead (Executive Director) to Dr. Chandra Ashton (Clinical Manager, Mental Health and Wellness).
The role of youth Point Person at Norwood Centre has shifted to Devon Bond-Nippard (Intake Facilitator) who will be connecting with youth participants. Jessy Gray will still be assisting with coordinating the staff training portion and supporting Devon. Welcome to Youth Connect, Devon!
Our first monthly meeting for ages 18-25 was held on March 12! Eight Wellness Ambassadors gathered at the C5 NE Hub to learn about using Photovoice for sharing their thoughts and experiences with mental health. We used art supplies and collaging to make “alien” versions of ourselves as an introduction to each other. Wellness Ambassadors took home snack bags rather than sharing a meal, in respect for those observing Ramadan.
To support recruitment in the age 14-17 group, Norwood CFRC is hosting a Parent Coffee Hour and Info Session on April 3 so parents/guardians can learn more about the project and register their youth.
This is a picture of a bouquet of flowers. There were other purple flowers, but these ones stood out the most to me because they are not perfectly uniform. This photo shows how the little “imperfections” can make us stand out from the crowd and intensify our beauty in the world.– Wellness Ambassador
Important Updates:
Three group needs assessments have been scheduled. Registration to participate in the needs assessment and trainings will close by the end of March.
We will begin searching for training opportunities in June. If you know of any mental health and suicide prevention trainings already offered by your agency or a partner agency, please contact Cheyanne.
Upcoming Dates
March 31, 2025: Braemar/Terra Staff Needs Assessment
April 3, 2025: Parent Coffee Hour and Info Session
April 7, 2025: 2nd Youth Connect Meeting (Age 18-25)
Cheyanne will continue to work from the different C5 locations on an approximate monthly basis, but these dates will no longer be pre-set. Please check with your agency’s point person if you’d like to know when Cheyanne will be at your agency.
Have you ever noticed that your mental health improves from something as simple as a quiet walk in nature? “Our nervous systems are wired to calm down through bilateral stimulation. Walking, tapping, eye movement – they present a stimulus to both sides of our body and both sides of our brain. And somehow, that grounds us – especially in nature.” Stress hormones are lower in people who regularly walk in natural settings and “even a 12-minute walk changes 500 of our body’s metabolites for the better”. For a quick mood boost, walk on your tip toes!
Tip: If you or someone you know is feeling stressed, go for a walk! If you have a stressful topic to discuss with a youth, take them for a walk while you talk about it together.
Source: Walking and EMDR: Grounding and empowering one step at a time | KBIA
February saw the first Wellness Ambassadors register! Four youth in the 18-25 age group joined the project and are excited to begin building skills and friendships. Many more youth have expressed interest, and the first Youth Connect meeting will be held once a few more youth officially join. A parent information page was created to help youth aged 15-17 discuss the project with their parents.
The first Interim Report was submitted to the Government of Alberta in February, meaning Youth Connect is ¼ through our time. Included in that report was feedback from the Point Person meeting held on February 11, 2025.
Registrations for the staff training portion of the project are currently open, and the deadline is approaching fast! If you would like to participate and learn more about supporting youth mental health and preventing youth suicide, reach out to Cheyanne or speak with your supervisor.
Panic attacks are sudden, unprovoked, intense feelings of fear with physical symptoms of a ‘pounding or racing heart, sweating, chills, trembling, difficulty breathing, weakness or dizziness, tingly or numb hands, chest pain, and/or stomach pain or nausea’ (National Institute of Mental Health). Anxiety attacks are similar but have a specific cause like a stressful situation. When these attacks happen, it can be difficult to calm down and ground yourself. Sour candy may help interrupt these attacks because your body suddenly focuses on the intense flavor rather than the intense feelings, allowing you to start grounding yourself through the five senses. Use the 5-4-3-2-1 grounding technique linked below (sight, hearing, touch, smell, taste.)
Please Note: While many people (including some doctors and psychologists) use this trick, it has not been scientifically proven, so be aware that it may not work for everyone. Additionally, overuse of this technique can lead to maladaptive coping, so be aware of how often you use this.
Tip: Keep a packet of sour candies (Sour Patch Kids, Sour Skittles, Warheads, Jolly Ranchers, etc.) in your bag, car, or office. When you or someone you’re with is hit with a panic or anxiety attack, eat one piece of candy and use it to begin grounding. *Make sure to check for allergies before giving anyone food.
Sources and To Read More:
Here’s when to expect Cheyanne at your agency. Dates may change, so check with your Point Person or reach out to Cheyanne directly if you’d like to meet her at your agency.
All Point Person orientation sessions and some meetings with youth teams have been held, and recruitment for both youth and staff participants is ongoing from all C5 agencies.
With input from C5 agencies, AHS Health Promotion Facilitators, mental health professionals, and an equity consultant, the team has created an appropriate onboarding process, including specific registration forms, consent forms, and demographic information forms. Three youth have expressed interest and have begun the onboarding process.
Changes: Based on feedback from mental health professionals, Youth Connect meetings will be split into two groups based on age. Each group (ages 15-17 and ages 18-25) will meet monthly. Feel free to contact Cheyanne if you have any questions.
Whenever Cheyanne gets stressed, she bakes something tasty (and typically chocolatey). Join her in the kitchen for a cake baking tutorial and chat about Youth Connect in a new video, linked below. Feel free to share this video with youth interested in the project.
C5 Youth Connect & Cake
Stress is a natural body reaction, but prolonged stress can cause negative health effects, both physically and mentally. One stress management technique is shaking therapy (aka therapeutic or neurogenic tremoring. “The approach involves shaking the body to release tension and trauma, helping to regulate the nervous system.” You can use shaking therapy while sitting or standing. Just focus on a body part and shake it for a few seconds. (Marnie Vinall and Joslyn Jelinek, 2021, Healthline. www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/can-shaking-your-body-heal-stress-and-trauma)
Tip: When you or a youth are feeling stressed or anxious, put on some music and shake or silly dance! Move your body freely and imagine all the tension leaving you.
February 11, 2025: Point Person Focus Group
TBD in February: First Youth Connect Meeting (dependent on recruitment)
Three more Point Person orientation sessions were held in late November and early December, and Wellness Ambassador recruitment began. Abdullah Ahmed (Program Coordinator – Complex Cases (Youth and Children)) joined as Point Person for the Newcomer Centre. Lauren Butler (High Risk Youth Worker – Youth and Young Adult Services) joined as Point Person for Boyle Street Community Services. Their orientation sessions have been scheduled.
Engagement with agencies to facilitate recruitment for staff training began on November 26, 2024. If you are interested in participating, please speak with a member of your agency’s management team or contact Cheyanne.
To assist in recruiting both youth and staff participants, postcards of the project were printed and distributed, and a digital version for youth was developed and sent. In the new year, Cheyanne will be working from varying C5 locations to facilitate engagement with staff and youth. Dates are listed below – check to see when she’ll be at your agency!
“… the simple act of coloring for twenty minutes can reduce anxiety and stress and can leave you feeling more content and calmer. … Studies have found that coloring can have a similar physiological response in the brain as the act of meditating by reducing outside noise and allowing for focus. In one study… results found all physical indicators of anxiety reduced when coloring, and that perceptions of anxiety lowered as well. These results make sense from a neurobiological perspective, as coloring can diminish activity in the amygdala.” (Your Brain on Art: How the Arts Transform Us by Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross, 2023)
Tip: Keep a coloring book or pages and crayons, markers, or colored pencils in your office, car, or other place you may encounter youth needing support.
January 2024
January 22, 2024: Braemar School
International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day
“Alberta has one of the highest provincial rates of youth suicide in Canada and suicide is the second leading cause of death in this age group.”[1] Every day, eleven people in Edmonton attempt or die by suicide.[2] The impact of suicide, and particularly youth suicide, is far reaching.
International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day (November 23) is for recognizing the unique and complex grief that comes from losing a loved one to suicide, supporting those who have experienced loss, and promoting mental health and suicide prevention initiatives. We would like to take this opportunity to express our support for those affected by suicide.
Point people from most agencies have been recruited. An orientation session to their role in the project was held on November 21. Additional orientation sessions have been scheduled for those who could not attend.
Youth Connect officially launched on November 12 with a one-page description of the project, sent to the Point People for intra-agency distribution. A staff postcard is available for staff to have a quick project summary and further information through a QR code.
Development of the evaluation plan is ongoing, with support from Deanna Marler and Dianna Fondo from AHS. The team is considering how to ensure evaluation is accessible and reflective of youth experiences.
[1] Building Strength, Inspiring Hope: A Provincial Action Plan for Youth Suicide Prevention 2019 to 2024
[2] https://11ofus.edmonton.ca/
More information, as well as all project updates, can be found at: https://terracentre.ca/what-is-terra/c5-collaboration/c5-youth-connect/
If you have any questions, feel free to email us at terra@terracentre.ca. We're here to help.