Bell Let’s Talk

Jan 15, 2025

CMHA Waterloo Wellington and The Grove Youth Wellness Hubs Ontario join Bell Let’s Talk as it kicks off its 15th year of action and change on January 22 by putting the spotlight on the growing youth mental health crisis.

CMHA Waterloo Wellington and The Grove Youth Wellness Hubs Ontario, join Bell Let’s Talk in putting the spotlight on the growing youth mental health crisis. CMHA WW is the Lead Agency for Children’s Mental Health in Guelph Wellington Dufferin, supporting children, youth and their guardians with intensive mental health and developmental services, and also provides team-based treatment for transitional age youth (age 15-26) for Eating Disorders and First Episode Psychosis.

The Bell Let’s Talk “collective call to action: we can’t let this be their future”, shines the light on the growing mental health needs of youth across Canada. Locally, at CMHA WW and The Grove, we continue to see youth struggling with mental health challenges every single day.

“We know that early intervention and support is critical for youth, so they can adapt and thrive. We are grateful for campaigns like Bell Let’s Talk to raise awareness, reduce stigma, and for additional funds to extend the mental health reach,” says CMHA Waterloo Wellington CEO, Helen Fishburn.

The Grove is an initiative empowered by CMHA WW, Youth Wellness Hubs Ontario (YWHO) – Integrated Youth Services, and many community partners. The Grove serves as a “one-stop-shop” for youth aged 12 to 26, addressing a broad range of needs including mental health, substance use, primary care, education, employment, training, housing, and other community and social services. It operates as a network of seven youth hub sites throughout Guelph and Wellington County.

“Youth come to the Grove and feel welcomed, create connections, and that is what builds trust and confidence to seek out clinical support and programs. It is critical for youth to have easy, barrier free access to mental health support,” says Jeff Hoffman, Executive Director The Grove Youth Wellness Hubs Ontario.

In consultation with the mental health community, Bell Let’s Talk partnered with Mental Health Research Canada to prepare the comprehensive national report, A Generation at Risk: The State of Youth Mental Health in Canada. Released in October 2024, the report uncovers alarming statistics about Canada’s growing youth mental health crisis:

· Suicide is a leading cause of death: Suicide remains a leading cause of death among young people in Canada, accounting for 21% of deaths; 24% of youth (16-24) report suicidal ideation.

· Priority youth populations: 2SLGBTQ+ communities, newcomers, Black and Indigenous youth have higher rates of poor mental health and experience barriers to accessing care.

· Early onset of mental health conditions: Youth are considered a vulnerable population with approximately 66% to 75% of mental health issues having an onset before the age of 24.

· Self-stigma: While young people are generally comfortable discussing mental health as a broad topic, they are less comfortable discussing their own mental health conditions.

· Contributing factors: Mental health issues increased among youth before the pandemic and have worsened since then due to a combination of social disconnection, excessive screen time (6+ hours daily) and socio-economic challenges.

CMHA Waterloo Wellington and The Grove are seeing these statistics play out in real time with the youth we support. We continue to be particularly concerned and closely monitoring an increasing trend in high-risk behaviours and adverse incidents.

The Centre for Addictions and Mental Health data shows that 90% of youth in Ontario are experiencing moderate to severe stress. Locally, The Grove has seen an 88% increase in youth accessing wellness and clinical programs, our data shows that the more time youth spend at The Grove means more youth access supports that lead to positive health outcomes with reductions in anxiety, depression, and stress.

We work closely with our community partners to create a safety net for youth at risk, and we welcome opportunities like Bell Let’s Talk Day to strengthen our services and support to address these complexities.