In 2019, statistics revealed a concerning reality: an estimated 1.2 million Canadian children and youth were found to be struggling with mental illness. The data demonstrated that 70 per cent of mental health problems emerge during childhood or adolescence.
Three years later, these numbers are believed to have surged, resulting from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the influence of increased social media exposure on the younger generation.
Photo by: Impact Society.
Despite the widespread public awareness of the mental health crisis among children and youth in Canada, less than 20% of those dealing with mental health issues receive effective and necessary treatment.
However, a local non-profit known as Impact Society is reshaping the narrative on how students perceive and address mental health early on. The team of inspiring and passionate parents, educators and advocates is becoming an active superhero in the ongoing battle against these concerning trends.
A foundation for change
Collette Toth and her husband began their journey of founding the local non-profit, in 1994. As parents, the couple found there was an intense lack of mental health support for kids and teens. Toth shared how their old neighbourhood’s landscape shed light on the lack of at-home support available for students in more diverse and marginalized communities.
Reflecting on the struggles faced by children during their early years, Toth emphasized the critical need for additional resources to create a more supportive environment.
“Kids go through so much in their first 10 years; they are so stretched, and when you’re in a stretched position, mentally, it’s really hard to think positively,” Toth said.
Impact Society’s current CEO, Chris Primeau, says the lack of support is still there, 30-years after their organization started. The surge in mental health problems among young people means their work is even more vital now.
“We are seeing catastrophic mental health issues and the dire symptoms of suicide, self-harm and life-altering concerns emerging earlier and more often,” Primeau said. “We’re up against a title wave that’s stealing the next generation, and that’s why this work is so important.”
Making an impact
One way Impact Society differs from other education-focused organizations is its Heroes programs, which are designed to teach students how to navigate and understand their feelings, thoughts, behaviours, and convictions in a time of deep vulnerability and self-discovery.
Photo by: Impact Society
Taught internationally, in rural schools and at the local level in Calgary Board of Education classrooms, each program works to empower students, educators, parents and caregivers through engaging activities and a focus on vulnerable life lessons, giving them the resources and tools to set individuals on a positive path.
Harmehar Dhillon, an alum of the student Heroes Program, believes it helped her understand her identity and build on her personal strengths.
“The most impactful thing that Heroes introduced to me was the concept of self-care and self-dignity; rather than focus on maybe what I thought was missing, it made me emphasize all of my strengths,” Dhillon said. “Any hobbies that I thought were futile it made me recognize them as parts of my personality.”
Overcoming mental hurdles
Toth expressed that over time, one of the most common issues she saw in students was a loss in understanding their identity and that often, they wind up seeking support from unreliable sources such as social media.
“What we do is build their confidence and their character so that they act with integrity and live with purpose,” Toth said.
Primeau explains that their services are a catalyst for changing the way students overcome mental health barriers, such as identity crises, low self-esteem, academic anxiety and depression.
“We provide them with an identity formation journey that helps them to build the confidence to know their strengths and live by those strengths,” he said.
He expressed that through the Heroes programs, they can teach students how to view mental health as a tool for positive personal development and identity shaping rather than see it as a misfortune holding them back.
Photo by: Impact Society
He added that their strength-based learning approaches, taught directly in the classroom, not only equip students with valuable mental health skills but also serve as an empowering resource for those lacking an effective support system at home.
Embracing the ‘hero’ within
When asked why she and her partner chose the name ‘Heroes’ for their programs, Toth shared a story about her husband and his own struggles with mental health.
“He wrote on the premise of what 13-year-old ‘Jack’ would have needed so that he wouldn’t end up at 16, ready to take his own life,” she said. “I think that’s where that Heroes piece comes from; everybody is a hero, and everybody has something inside them to give.”
Primeau also shares the same testament surrounding the program. He touched on how his work with the non-profit organization only reinforced his goal of creating a better and brighter future for future generations.
“We build resilient youth,” he said. “And it’s those resilient youth who grow up and have the biggest impacts in the world.”
He added that mental health issues can be a dark experience for many young people, but with services and programs such as theirs, students can learn what it means to be the main character of their own story.
“The world,” Primeau explained. “Needs more heroes.”
In order to expand its outreach and grant support systems both in and outside current classrooms, Impact Society is working alongside educators and making efforts to diversify their programs and make them more accessible to all youth, ensuring that everyone is granted the opportunity to be a hero.