Starlings Community hosted its first-ever national summit on Nov. 21. The virtual conference focused on sharing stories of people who have experienced the stigma and stress of a parent’s substance use.
Founded by Agnes Chen, Starlings Community supports youth across Canada who are navigating these challenges.
The summit featured guest and panel speakers from across Canada and internationally. Panelists shared personal stories about growing up with a parent’s substance use and mental health challenges.
Local organizations and community groups including Asra: The Punjabi Alcohol Resource, The Nina Project and AMI-Québec joined the event, sharing how they support youth experiencing mental health challenges through peer initiatives, education and advocacy.
Studies highlight need to support youth
The summit addresses the need for more support for youth facing a parent’s substance use challenges. A 2023 study shows nearly 19 million or one-in-four U.S. children lived with at least one parent or caregiver with a substance use disorder.
Research continues to show how deeply family substance use shapes young people’s long-term well-being.
“The fact that one in four children now live with parental substance use disorder brings more urgency to the need to help connect parents to effective treatments, expand early intervention resources for children and reduce the risk that children will go on to develop substance use issues of their own,” said Sean Esteban McCabe, the lead researcher for the study.
Another population-based cohort study from Manitoba found that children with a parent who had a substance use disorder (SUD) faced more than double the risk of developing an adolescent SUD themselves. The risk rose even higher when both parents had a diagnosis, and was similarly elevated when an older sibling had a history of substance use.
The findings show how parental and familial substance use affect youth not only emotionally and socially but also through increased health risks over time.
Impacts of the summit
For Chen, National Child’s Day is an opportunity to shift the conversation toward understanding, connection and action.
“Each year we host a National Child’s Day event, in partnership with community groups on the ground doing similar work. This year was the first summit,” she said. “These National Child’s Day events are important as they centre the voices of peers with lived experience from a family-centred lens. This means it’s not simply about the harms of parental substance use and systemic barriers but solutions to ensure young people can access support without fear or shame.”
Chen emphasizes that Starlings aims to build community around youth who often feel invisible in discussions about substance use. “[We] connect them to a community that understands, and to resources that can support their well-being. Resources they might not otherwise be able to find,” she said.
The summit drew a number of professionals, including service providers, educators and community workers who looked to better understand the needs of youth living with parental substance use challenges.
“Many people come to our events, particularly individuals from organizations,” Chen said. “Many of the people asking questions were professionals. We offer a unique opportunity to hear from people with lived experience and better understand their needs.”