Ottawa has announced $3 million in funding to Kids Help Phone to support the mental wellness of young people from Indigenous, Black, newcomer and underserved communities across the country.
To reach these communities, Kids Help Phone will expand two programs. The first program, Weaving Threads, currently reaches Ontario Indigenous communities. It will be scaled up to reach Indigenous communities nationally, and will also be adapted for national delivery to Black and newcomer communities.
"Increasing resources and removing barriers to mental health care for children and youth in Canada, especially those in underserved communities, is a priority for our government,” said Carolyn Bennett, associate minister of health.
“Today's funding to Kids Help Phone will help more young people from coast to coast to coast access the tools they need to support themselves and their peers, and will help to spread the message that it's ok to not feel ok and that they are not alone."
Kids Help Phone will also expand its Counsellor in the Classroom program, which will be delivered nationally to grades 4 and 5 students in both official languages through digital, virtual and in-person formats.
This announcement is part of a $100-million investment provided in the 2021 budget to support projects that promote mental health and prevent mental illness in populations disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
