Giving kids a sense of belonging on National Youth Mental Health Day

Campbell River and the Comox Valley are coming together on Tuesday, May 7 to celebrate National Child and Youth Mental Health Day

Campbell River and the Comox Valley are coming together on Tuesday, May 7 to celebrate National Child and Youth Mental Health Day and to enjoy a family fun day event.

This Tuesday, national awareness day helps create public awareness and acknowledgement of the hundreds of thousands of children, youth and families needing mental health support and care across Canada.

The FORCE Society for Kids’ Mental Health has been working with the community to create this memorable, free family fun event to celebrate National Child and Youth Mental Health Day.  This event will bring our communities together to connect, laugh, and inspire.  The FORCE Society for Kids’ Mental Health is a provincial organization whose mission is to promote and influence change in intervention and quality of care in children’s mental health.  The FORCE expanded its presence into Campbell River and the Comox Valley to provide peer support to parents and caregivers who are navigating the systems that interface with their families.   The FORCE encourages all Campbell River and Comox Valley families and community members to join them at their free, Family Fun Day on May 7, from 4-8 p.m. at Courtenay Elementary School.

This year’s theme “I Care About You” will be expressed throughout the evening as community members from both areas share their thoughts (brief speeches at 5 p.m.) about child and youth mental health, and families are engaged  into important conversations about mental health. This day is also about giving every child a sense of belonging – with family, friends, and their community.

Parents can browse the various resource tables provided by local service providers from both communities so that they can learn more about the support systems available to them in both communities. Youth will have an opportunity to play games, participate in craft stations, contribute to our community quilting project, and have their faces painted.

Campbell River Mirror