One Saturday a month children aged 7-12 enjoy a fun filled day of activities they might not otherwise get the chance to experience, as part of the CMHA [Canadian Mental Health Association] Super Saturday program. Developed in Vernon two years ago, the Super Saturday program provide youth with a safe space to share feelings and connect socially, while dealing with the stigma that families often face when impacted by mental illness (or addiction issues).
The program also provides an opportunity for the parents (90 per cent of whom are a single parent household) to focus on their own self-care while their children are participating. Now, thanks to a $10,000 donation from the Canada Post Foundation, the CMHA Vernon’s executive director, Julia Payson says the local branch of the organization can now expand this program for youth aged 13-17.
“The funds from the Canada Post Foundation mean we can build in the success of Super Saturday to offer a program for older youth. This has meant the world to those aging out of Super Saturday. The new Friday Night Live program provides life skills, education and recreation in order to provide a stable support network to manage their mental wellness through their teen years,’ Payson said in a release on Monday.
In the past five years, the Foundation has provided more than $6 million to build libraries, create sports and breakfast programs, and ensure access to crisis lines, anti-bullying and mental health initiatives, special needs clinics and life-skills training. Locally, this recent grant will be used to expand the CMHA Super Saturday program for youth who have a parent with a mental illness.
Research into the lives of children and youth who have a parent with a mental illness indicates a correlation between parental illness and the risk of their children experiencing mental health issues of their own. Positive peer support programs that address issues around parental mental health, respite care, and time to just “be kids” reduces the likelihood that children will face their own mental health challenges.
About one in seven young people in BC—or 14 per cent—will experience a mental illness at some point. Many mental illnesses—between 50 per cent and about 70 per cent—show up before the age of 18, having huge impact on a child’s development. Mental illnesses can affect how well kids do in school and how they form relationships with other kids and adults. Mental illnesses, if not treated early, can be disruptive enough to a kid’s normal development that it can affect them for the rest of their lives.
To learn more about the Canadian Mental Health Association Vernon Branch or to make a donation to improve mental health in our community, visit the website www.vernon.cmha.bc.ca or call 250-542-3114.
Morning Star Staff