Youth Engagement Advisory

Who are we?

Modelled off of youth engagement best practices and aligned with the quality standards for youth engagement, the Youth Engagement Advisory (YEA) is a group of youth (aged 13 to 25) who work alongside Wellkin’s two youth engagement facilitators to:

Organize and facilitate regionally specific projects focused on raising mental health awareness, decreasing stigma and promoting mental wellness in the community;
Advise Wellkin on how to create youth-friendly services as well as the planning, delivery, and evaluation of Wellkin’s policy, programs and initiatives; and
Advocate and promote Wellkin and the importance of youth engagement within the broader community.

The New Mentality

Wellkin’s Youth Engagement Advisory belongs to a larger provincial network, called The New Mentality. Each year The New Mentality hosts an annual retreat for young youth leaders and their adult allies. To find a New Mentality group near you, please visit thenewmentality.ca/tnm-group-list

Adult Ally Training

Adult ally training came from seeing negative youth engagement practices. We saw tokenism and youth hating their youth engagement groups. We were shocked at the difference between some other youth engagement groups and our own group in the ways we interpret and action youth engagement. The adult ally training aims to present a uniform way of being a positive adult ally and ensure adult allies take on the responsibility of ensuring youth are respected and valued. Our adult ally training is intended for any adult ally working with youth in both Oxford and Elgin counties. This includes adult allies of youth engagement groups or simply adults who may not yet consider themselves adult allies but are in a supportive role to youth in a personal, professional or community capacity.

Children’s Mental Health Week

Every May we celebrate Mental Health Week! The planning process begins months in advance and Youth Engagement Advisory members collaborate with local agencies to reduce the stigma surrounding mental health. And so much more!

Community Requests

Wellkin’s Youth Engagement Advisory receives many requests though out the year to support initiatives within our community and within our local schools. YEA members enjoy educating the community on Wellkin’s services and chatting about mental wellness.