Waiting for change
Why “Waiting For Change”? In 2015 the Youth Action Committee members drew from their personal experiences and stories told to them by their peers that the child and youth mental health wait lists were extremely long and are impacting their overall wellbeing. In response, the YAC hosted its inaugural Youth Mental Health Summit, Waiting for Change. The summit’s goal was to engage youth in creating specific policy recommendations to improve wait times for mental health services and better support children, youth, and families when they are unable to access the treatment they need. To view the photos from the event, click here.
After two years of collecting stories and youth-led recommendations from other young people across the province, the YAC released its first Zine, Waiting for Change, in November 2016. This zine outlines four recommendations for how we can make change happen: two ideas to shorten wait times and two ideas for helping youth manage while they wait for services.
This Zine was written by members of the 2016 Youth Action Committee and informed by Ontario’s youth.
To view the full Zine, click the button below.
The Impact
In November 2016, the Youth Action Committee met with Minister of Children and Youth Services Micheal Coteau to discuss their newly released Zine, Waiting For Change. Minister Coteau sat down with the YAC members to hear firsthand how young people are currently experiencing the child and youth mental health system and review the recommendations to reduce wait times in Ontario. Following the meeting, Minister Coteau released a statement supporting the youth-led recommendations outlined in the Zine.
“We will continue to relay on the advice from young people and their families, from our Indigenous partners and from our independent officers of the legislature, such as the Auditor General, to develop a responsive system that positions all kids for success. In fact, just last week, I had the pleasure of meeting with young people from the New Mentality Youth Action Committee — a group of bright, engaging individuals from across the province who are working hard to reduce the stigma surrounding mental health. I support the committee’s recommendations contained in Waiting for Change, as they will go a long way towards helping shape a stronger system in Ontario.”
Acknowledgements
We want to thank the 2015 and 2016 Youth Action Committee members, Amanda, Travis, Nicole, Sabrina, Matt, Zara, Cherish, Shannon, and Beth, for dedicating their time, energy, and passion to this project. As well, Kimberly Cheung for her beautiful design of the Zine. We would also like to thank the 2015 Waiting For Change Youth Summit attendees, CAMH National Youth Advisory Committee, Disable the Label 2016 participants, and all the other young people who shared their voices and ideas to improve wait times in Ontario. Finally, we would like to thank Children’s Mental Health Ontario for supporting the Youth Action Committee’s vision for this project.
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