But the problem persists. It was prevalent before the pandemic, and it is worse today. Kids are vulnerable and are easily influenced.  They are struggling with the intrusion of social media in their lives (and the abuse, bullying and isolation it permits), the polarization of the political realm, the influence and availability of opioids and other substances.  Food insecurity, labour insecurity, and housing insecurity also all contribute. They struggle with the social skills they need to operate effectively in society – and two years of being rigidly anti-social during a pandemic (that hit them in their formative socialization years) – is a real one.

BGC Clubs are witness to this problem and are trying to provide help.  And it manifests in staff mental health challenges as well – dealing with the stress of other stressed-out youth takes a toll, but also the same societal problems are affecting the staff as they try to be professional mentors too.

There is no easy solution.

However, the conversation on my panel led to the things we can do.  And the answer in some cases – in many cases – is Clubs.  The answer is not that Clubs have to provide more formal mental health supports. It’s not even that we need to run more of our BounceBack League or Flex Your Head programs (although that would be great!) – for those of you that don’t know these programs, they are explicitly designed around mental health discussions and engagement.

Clubs just need to be Clubs. Social health equals mental health. Engaging with other humans in a non-hierarchical setting, without the pressures of school and without the stress of family dynamics, is incredibly effective at building healthy, resilient, social engagement and stronger mental health. For adults, this might be called the coffee shop or the pub, or even your local sports league or running group.  For kids, it’s places like BGC Clubs.

I don’t mean to be flippant. Social engagement does not resolve inclinations for self-harm, or suicidal thoughts. It does not cure clinical depression and anxiety. Those require support from trained professionals. And Clubs can and do access these services or provide referrals.

But we have a prevalence of mental health concerns today. In fact the New York Times reported on the fact that a recent study showed that the more mental health was discussed with youth, those same youth then reported that their mental health was worse.  This is called ‘prevalence inflation’ – the more you discuss something, the more people feel they may identify with the problem personally. It’s a bit like Googling the symptoms of your sore throat – twelve clicks later, and you start to believe you only have weeks to live.

To combat this, the more we discuss mental health and normalize our approach to it, the more we also need to increase normalizing social situations where children and teens can just be themselves and hang out.  If we see everything through the lens of mental health, we exacerbate the problem. But if we integrate it in our work and allow it to fade to the background and let a supportive, social, and engaging experience take the lead, we will see better outcomes. Getting support for your homework, playing basketball, learning to cook a new dish – all of these are forms of mental health supports that don’t fit a formal, clinical support model. At the core, this is what Clubs are, and what Clubs do.

Sadly, we still must deal with the rise of serious mental health challenges. I have had more parents come to me – not necessarily of Club kids – who are seeking help for their children, and I hear dire and difficult stories of self-harm, violence, and acting out, and desperate parents who don’t know how to get the help they need. I am shocked at how often this is mentioned to me in social settings, over a drink, at a meal – more families need help. I am glad that they are talking about it, and seeking the help they need.  We continue to work to reduce the stigma that comes from talking about mental health.

And in the most difficult situations, we must remember how Clubs rally to provide the essential, front-line support that’s needed. When I met with some Toronto Clubs earlier this week, I heard devastating stories of the effects of gun violence on Club kids – and how traumatized families don’t get the supports they need in the immediate hours after a shooting or fatality – police services, city services are focused on their work, and that doesn’t mean 24-hour support for a grieving family. When no one is there for the family, the Club is, providing immediate needs, wrapping their arms around the grief and trauma – staying with them with food and comfort for as long as necessary. In fact, the City calls on some of our Toronto Clubs to provide support when they know they can’t. Other social services have working hours only – Clubs fill these gaps and work 24/7 for whatever is needed. I cannot imagine greater distress than losing a child to gun violence and I am disturbed to hear that social services don’t provide what is needed at those times. This is a condemnation of our broken systems – the mental health system doesn’t provide what is needed. But once again, Clubs do.

The CEO of the Canadian Mental Health Association, Margaret Eaton, described our mental health system as a quilt, a frayed patchwork of bits and pieces put together in odd ways to try to cover the needs of Canadians.  Clubs are an essential part of that quilt, and we are asking for investment in our work, and recognition of the essential services that Clubs provide to children, youth, and families.

By Owen Charters, President & CEO, BGC Canada

April 30, 2024

I noticed the massive line of cars trailing out of the Club’s driveway and onto the street—stretching through intersections for blocks—filled with families depending on the Club for food essentials.

For 125 years, BGC Clubs have served on the frontlines—providing necessities to young people in communities across the country—including mental health and food literacy programs.

Back in the fall of 2020 – as the COVID pandemic and related health measures took the greatest toll on job losses – I was driving by BGC East Scarborough on a Friday: food pick-up day. I noticed the massive line of cars trailing out of the Club’s driveway and onto the street—stretching through intersections for blocks—filled with families depending on the Club for food essentials.

I share this because today, the need for food hasn’t changed; in fact – it’s grown. In the fall of 2023, BGC Eastview (less than 20km from BGC East Scarborough) spoke to CityNews in response to a study on food insecurity’s impact on young people’s mental health.

“There is no mental wellness without making sure your tummy is full.”

– Laurette Jack, Program Coordinator at BGC Eastview

These are only two examples of BGC Clubs addressing these issues. Our Clubs have been—and continue to be—at the forefront of providing services to meet the needs of nearly 150,000 young people each year. When it comes to food security, its often a surprise for many to learn that we provide 6 million meals and snacks to kids across the country. But the need continues to rise: 1.8 million children across Canada are living in food-insecure households¹, and 1.2 million are affected by mental health².

I often describe a BGC Club by explaining the three p.m. stampede when they open their doors for after-school programming. The rising cost of living has made basic needs inaccessible to many children, youth and families. And many of them turn to BGC Clubs to provide them. Our 2023 Learning & Impact Report tells that the Club experience allows young people to envision a brighter future for themselves.

We need to continue these conversations for those kids and those who have yet to find our doors. Basic needs, brighter futures.

¹  https://proof.utoronto.ca/2023/new-data-on-household-food-insecurity-in-2022/#:~:text=In%202022%2C%2018.4%25%20of%20people,a%20period%20of%20unprecedented%20inflation.
²  https://ymhc.ngo/blogs/ymhc-blog/youth-mental-health-reality-the-difference-we-can-make

Read more:  

• What BGC Club Impact Looks Like
• Poverty in Canada: A Kid Made It
• After-School, Out-of-School

The BGC National Youth Council (NYC) is responsible for representing the concerns of thousands of youth across the nation served by BGC Canada. BGC’s NYC aims to amplify youth voices by reflecting and addressing various socio-economic challenges across Canada. By ensuring that youth input is included in national initiatives and activities, NYC members serve as ambassadors and role models for other children and youth throughout the organization. We aim to positively influence decision-making on issues related to young people to create a better and safer environment for Canadian youth across the globe.

Today is International Youth Day. A day to remember the importance of investing in today’s youth so that we have the tools and skills to create a brighter future for Canada. This International Youth Day, it is important to call attention to the rising mental health challenges faced by Canadian youth, especially in the post-pandemic era. It is critical to address these issues to work towards understanding how to navigate these relatively uncharted waters in which the pandemic has taken a serious toll on our mental and physical health.

Statistics Canada data shows that youth have experienced the greatest declines in mental health since the pandemic began. Those already experiencing poor mental health before COVID-19 were impacted even more by the pandemic. A Statistics Canada report shows that youth are less likely among age groups to report good mental health– and saw the largest drop in self-reported mental health since the pandemic. Only 42% of youth report their mental health as excellent or very good[1].  An estimated 1.2 million children and youth in Canada are affected by mental illness—yet, less than 20 percent will receive appropriate treatment[2]. There are a variety of short-term and long-term risks associated with youth mental health challenges. These include both health and behavioral risks including increased risk of drug use, experiencing violence, and other habits established in adolescence that affect youth development into adulthood. Therefore, a growing body of international evidence demonstrates that promotion, prevention, and early intervention initiatives show positive returns on investment[3].

Additionally, mental health disorders—most often depression—are strongly associated with the risk, occurrence, management, progression, and outcome of serious chronic diseases and health conditions[4]. Without intervention, the consequences can be devastating. In a recent report, suicide was recorded as the second leading cause of death for people aged 15-24[5] However, Indigenous youth are even more vulnerable, dying by suicide about 5 to 6 times more often than non-Indigenous youth[6]. There must be a call to action to better protect our youth and reduce suicide across the country. This begins with increasing awareness, pushing for government reform, and improvement of existing mental health programs for young Canadians.

The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry writes that the only solution is the “creation of a truly transformed system of youth mental health care embedded within the current larger system”. This would include essential services specifically designed for youth to address “multiple health needs (physical, sexual, and mental), substance use, and emerging mental disorders”[7].

Recommendations

The statement “today’s youth are the leaders of tomorrow” is often quoted by government but neglected in policy considerations. The National Youth Council, therefore, recommends further investment in youth mental health supports. This includes:

• Increased funding for community mental health programs to make therapy and other mental health programs more accessible to youth, by ensuring programs can meet the demand for their services and are affordable.
• All levels of government must recognize the importance of destigmatizing mental health so that BGC patrons along with youth across the nation can receive the help they need.
• Increased access to Mental Health First Aid Training for frontline staff so staff can better support the mental health of youth within existing programs. Through training staff at organizations such as BGC Clubs, we can create an environment where staff is better equipped to speak to youth about mental health and refer them to services as needed – breaking the cycle of mental health stigma.
• It is important to recognize that mental health support is not a one size fits all approach. It affects a variety of vulnerable demographics differently including, marginalized and racialized youth. Therefore, services must be built to address the unique needs of youth experiencing mental distress, “while being sensitive to their cultural, historic, and geographic realities.”

Without the government’s support and attention to this mental health crisis, youth across the country will continue to struggle. By supporting the fight for mental health reform, we can begin to create a brighter future for youth that will in turn improve education, employment, family wellbeing, and the overall quality of life for youth across Canada.

Sincerely,

BGC’s National Youth Council

[1] Statistics Canada: https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/45-28-0001/2020001/article/00003-eng.htm

[2] Mental Health Commission of Canada: https://mentalhealthcommission.ca/what-we-do/children-and-youth/

[3] Roberts and Grimes (2011). Return on investment: Mental health promotion and mental illness prevention. A Canadian Policy Network / Canadian Institute for Health Information report. Ottawa: CIHI. Mental Health Commission of Canada (2014). Why investing in mental health will contribute to Canada’s economic prosperity and to the sustainability of our health care system. Retrieved from http://www.mentalhealthcommission.ca/English/node/742

[4] Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion: https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/leading-health-indicators/2020-lhi-topics/Mental-Health#:~:text=Evidence%20has%20shown%20that%20mental,%2C2%2C%203%20and%20cancer.

[5] Statistics Canada (2018). Deaths and age-specific mortality rates, by selected grouped causes, Canada, 2016. Table: 13-10-0392-01

[6] Health Canada (2015). First Nations & Inuit health – mental health and wellness. Retrieved from http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fniah-spnia/promotion/mental/index-eng.php.

[7] Youth Mental Health Should be a Top Priority for Health Care in Canada : https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0706743718758968