North Bay Indigenous Friendship Centre help youth battle mental health challenges

Staff at the North Bay Indigenous Friendship Centre help youth make friends and give them a sense of belonging.

There were lots of laughs, games and fun taking place on LGBTQ+ night, one of the many programs the North Bay Indigenous Friendship Centre offers to help youth make friends and give them a sense of belonging.

The team provides crucial help for Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth struggling with their well-being. The friendship centre offers day, night and weekend events and programs.

“A lot of youth just need a place to call home right now and so we have that space available here all the time for them,” said Melissa Minor, a mental health and addiction worker at the centre.

Up to 30 youth ages 13-24 visit the centre to take part in activities such as games, self-esteem cooking classes, First Nation cultural programs and more.

Health Canada says 1.25 million young people need help and one in two aren’t getting the help they need. One in four youth have contemplated suicide.

These numbers are also high for Indigenous youth -- one in five consider suicide after age 25.

“What we end up doing is deterring them from that thought and engaging them in a better way of living and that good life,” said Michael Jukes-Bedard, the centre’s youth life promotion coordinator.

“A lot of our youth who do come to the friendship centre are dealing with a lot of intergenerational trauma from … residential schools that we had in Canada.”

Many youth experienced more isolation due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent shutdowns.

“If you help some of these teenagers that are struggling with anxiety, it gives them an opportunity to meet new people and to be in a place where they’re with adults that are caring and are there to support them with whatever they need,” said Christine Lajoie, Wasa-Nabin program coordinator.

The centre knows that its programs sometimes act as a lifeline for youth who feel there’s no hope. Crisis workers provide them with emotional support or intervention.

“On an average given day, I see about 12-15 youth within the school systems from 9 a.m. -3 p.m. and then I usually have about three here, as well,” Minor said.

Staff who work directly with children and youth are noticing they are facing an enormous amount of peer pressure, which has led to increased rates of anxiety and depression.

“Teenagers this day and age need adults that are going to be there to support them,” Lajoie said.

“You get a youth that’s not even speaking to you and then in a few months they feel so comfortable that they’re telling you their life stories.”

Any child or youth struggling with mental health challenges is encouraged to call Kids Help Phone, a 24/7 mental health and crisis support service for young people in Canada.

It can be reached by calling 1-800-668-6868, texting 686868, online and using the live chat service on the Kids Help Phone website.

Bell Let’s Talk has partnered with more than 1,500 organizations since its launch in 2010. It has provided mental health services, including hospitals, universities, local community service providers and other care and research organizations throughout the country.

This year, Bell is inviting people across the country to donate $5 to youth mental health, which Bell will match up to $1 million.

Canadians are encouraged to participate in a national text-to-donate campaign with 100 per cent of the proceeds going to six youth mental health organizations, including Integrated Youth Services, Jack.org, Kids Help Phone, National Association of Friendship Centres, Strongest Families Institute and Youth In Mind Foundation.

To donate, text ‘YOUTH’ to 45678.