Disable the Label

2011

Harvest of the

Retreat

The New Mentality

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The New Mentality network came together for three days in August at the beautiful and rustic Kempenfelt Centre, located on the south shore of Kempenfelt Bay. Lots of water, trees and rocks- the perfect setting to explore and create!

Our Collective Purpose

To catalyze youth to take action in promoting and building mental health services that work.

The Needs Driving our Purpose

Too many youth complete suicide

Waitlists for counseling are too long

Agencies are not usually youth-

engaging

Youth, children and families don’t know

where to go for help

Youth often feel over-medicated

More people are being diagnosed with

depression than ever before

Parents feel so stigmatized they don’t

want to ask for professional help

People are unaware of alternative

treatments to medications

Principles for Participation

1/2 the participants would be would be

staff members of a community-based

mental health agency

1/2 the participants would be youth

who volunteer and work as mentors

and leaders for those agencies

The gathering would be co-led by youth

The gathering would use “Art of

Hosting” methodology

The gathering would take place in a

natural and rural setting

Participants

There were 35 participants at the conference (11 male; 24 female). More than half of the participants were youth (18 youth; 17 adults). The average age of the youth was 18. The youngest youth was 14 and the oldest was 24. The average age for the adults was 38 with the youngest staff being 28 and the oldest staff being 46

The New Mentality

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Many youth attending had recovered from, or were in treatment for, a mental illness of some form, including eating disorders, anxiety, depression Aspergers, and addiction.

Participating Agencies:

Children’s Mental Health Ontario

Dufferin Child and Family Services

East Metro Youth Services

New Path Youth and Family Services

Nexus Youth Services

Open Doors for Lanark Children and

Youth

Pathways for Children and Youth

Point in Time Centre for Children, Youth

and Parents

Sketch

The New Mentality

Windsor Regional Children’s Centre

From those agencies, 12 participants were from

Toronto, 10 were from the Central East

Region, 5 were from the Central West region, 5 were from the South East region, and 3 were from the South West Region. There were no participants from the regions: East, North, North East, and Hamilton-Niagara. This was the first year New Mentality did not subsidize travel. This may have contributed to the reason we didn’t have participants from the North. Due to staff vacations, we did not have participants from the East or Hamilton-Niagara Regions.

Six participating agencies currently support a New Mentality Group. A New Mentality Group is a formalized group structure supported financially and through a contract with Children’s Mental Health Ontario. Two agencies, Algoma Family Services (Sault Ste. Marie) and Reach Out Centre for Kids (Burlington), that currently support New Mentality Groups, were not present.

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D a y O n e

Our Collective Ideal Café

After welcoming everyone & facilitating a check-in circle so we could hear everyone voice, facilitators, Bronwyn Loucks & Wendy Walker led a World Cafe.

The World Café, developed by Juanita Brown, David Isaacs and the World Cafe Community, is a method for creating a living network of dialogue around questions that matter in real-life situations.

Participants used markers and flipchart paper on their discussion tables to answer:

What is your ideal mental health

system?

What fuels it? What skills are needed?

From those two discussions, groups created living sculptures of the important elements in mental health services. Here is a description or “harvest” of the discussions.

“Diversity – New Mentality”

Our group created a circle, one by one stepping in and saying hello. As they entered and spoke their native language, they joined hands with the previous person creating a mental health centre that embraces diversity.

“One affects all”

We wanted to show how the ripple effect occurs by holding hands. One or two people began making a wave with their arms, throwing people off balance and therefore forcing the other person’s arm to react. Where one creates a disturbance, it affects everyone because we are all connected.

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“Move into circle” & “Breaking

the norm”

Entering the same revolving door as a “patient” every person was given the same pill (as symbolized by a candy) by a doctor who spoke into his phone rather than to the patient. An outsider came to collect those in the revolving door, taking them to a new system where they held hands and formed a circle, representing a circle that supports uniqueness.

A f t e r n o o n

T e a c h e s

Youth Engagement Nancy Pereira, Nexus Youth Services

The term Youth Engagement is an emerging practice that does not possess a universal definition. The New Mentality defines Youth Engagement as, “empowering all youth as valued partners in addressing and making decisions about issues that affect them personally and/or that they believe to be important.” Youth Engagement involves these factors:

Youth-adult partnerships (working

relationships)

Shared decision making

Involvement of youth in the design,

planning and implementation of

programs

Youth perspectives being valued and

regarded as credible

Youth and adults assuming the dual role

of teacher and learner

Adult Allying Rita Gidillini, Windsor Regional Children’s Centre

Adult Allies:

Make sure everyone is physically &

emotionally safe

Handle the money

Set up the meeting space

Email group reminders etc.

Keep contact information, reports &

notes

Make sure youth evaluate meetings

Partner with Group Facilitators to lead

discussions & brainstorms

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Mental Health vs.

Mental Illness Lisa Cluett, New Path Youth and Family Services

Right now, you have mental health. Everyone has some degree of mental health. Mental health is about having balance in your moods, your behaviours and your thoughts.

A ‘mental illness’ is a specific mood, thought or behavioural pattern that causes a person to suffer and to not function at school, work or in society.

Chaos & Order Cathy Dyer, The New Mentality

Chaos is all about new visions, wide-open possibilities, creativity and new ideas. Many youth are great at this. Order ensures that

projects are organized and that there is a clear plan that will help execute ideas.

In order for a new practice like youth engagement to emerge, staff and youth need to operate in the space between chaos and order (cha-ord).

The Extremes:

Control ensures things are predictable but can lead people into apathy when there’s too much control. Sometimes, when the chaos makes people uncomfortable, they go straight to control.

Chamos is the place where there is too much chaos, where people just keep talking about ideas but nothing ever happens. After a while, you get frustrated and stop showing up.

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E v e n i n g

S t o r i e s

“Youth Led Our Annual General

Meeting” with Spencer Fulton, youth leader from New Path Youth & Family Services

Youth asked, “How can we take a more active role at New Path?” Youth

Seeing youth in a positive leadership role, supporting them and embracing change, the Board agreed to invite youth to host their AGM. Adults let go of control and let youth lead the way. This format pushed people out of their comfort zones and but people to took risks. Adults supported youth & youth supported adults. Youth brought a message of hope to the Simcoe community and never again will the AGM

be done without youth leadership.

“Mental Health Services Got

$257 Million” with Camille Quenneville, Director of Policy & Communications from Children’s Mental Health Ontario

With the recent Ontario budget announcement of $257 million dollars for child and youth mental health services, leaders in the field are asking, “Where will the money go?”, “What does this mean for the system?”, “What are the core services needed?”, and “What will the new system look like?”

This funding is a result of EDs, parents & youth coming together and becoming comfortable advocating for mental health services- telling their stories. Parent raising their voice with kids & being supported by evidence from the field led to a compelling case. Community networks & resources (linkages) emerged that supported the call for community-based mental health services. During this advocacy work, the Women’s Caucus in the provincial government formed and fundamentally changed how mental health priorities are seen and invested-in.

In the end, parents, youth and professionals received more funding than they’d seen in many, many years. Power to the people!

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“The Violence Intervention

Program Changed My Life”

with Nandu Anil, Youth Mentor; Tevin Thompson, Youth Mentor; Michelle Moran, Program Manager; and Colin Scheyen Program Coordinator from East Metro Youth Services

“How can youth help youth end violence in our community?” This question was asked by a visionary staff member of East Metro Youth Services who created the Violence Intervention Program in 1997. VIP teaches kids about violence and shows them how to stop it in their community. The VIP Program gives kids the opportunity to grow with media and shows them there’s more to do than fighting and violence. This great program believes in empowerment, in youth as leaders & that youth have something to offer.

When youth join the program, they ask, “How can we as youth rise above violence?” “What can we do with our time that is inspiring and skill-building?” This program is a good example of youth engagement where youth are in power and work to end violence.

“Making Art Saved My Life”

with Mosas Ratiarson, Youth Mentor; Devon Scott, Youth Mentor; and Julian Diago, Coordinator from Sketch

Sketch, a working arts studio for street-involved and homeless youth in Toronto creates a place and a sense of family.

Devon, a youth who works with Sketch, has the power to help others with music regardless of their story. He has the courage to encourage others. He knows the benefits of being around positive people.

Moses went from being homeless to being a mentor with Sketch. The strength and persistence of his growth, his ability to acknowledge the change in himself made him trust that everything is possible and everyone has a story. Moses asked himself what he wanted to do with his life. He knew that he wanted to help others, make people well, help the community, and relate to people through their own experience. Moses had the courage to get off the street and go into Sketch, allowing people to help him and make a better future for himself.

Sketch makes you realize that you need to start small & keep growing and that you need to follow-through with getting involved.

D a y T w o

Transformation Cafe

What obstacles am I able to transform at this time? & What seeds am I planting?

Open Space

Pro-action Café

Youth Action Committee

Beach Circle Room TV Area Cafe Room

3:30 - 4:00 PM Anything & everything

Beyond mentoring

Cafe Questions for New Path

New Mentalty & Shed the

Light

4:00 - 4:30

PM Diversity

Mental health awarness for

teachers

Finding your voice

Gay Awarness & Abuse

4:30 - 5:00

PM Power of Self

New Mentality Next Steps

Meaning of Life

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Bronwyn Loucks, Children’s Mental Health Ontario

I feel hopeful and positive that CMHO can have good youth engagement by creating a community of support.

Drug Speak

Kaitie Locket, New Mentality Youth Facilitator, Open Doors

I will collect stories and contacts from youth who have recovered from drug and alcohol addiction to be used in the Drug Speak book

Meaning of Life

Devon Scott, Youth Mentor, Sketch I will create a cross-cultural dialogue

between Chinese community and artist community. This will enhance the youth centre and build connections and understanding.

Mental Health Workshop for

Teachers

Nandu Anil, Youth Mentor, East Metro Youth Services I will create a workshop for teachers at his school to learn about what it is like being a youth who drops out. He loves schools but knows lots of youth drop out because of bad teacher attitudes. He wants to help teachers keep kids in class.

Video Game Tournament

Stephan, Youth Leader, Nexus Youth Services

I will build community through an activity besides talking or sports.

Alumni Socieity

Colin Scheyen, Multimedia Coordinator, Studio2, East Metro Youth Services

I will build an alumni society for his agency to provide support to youth who age-out or graduate the programs.

Community Concert & Volleyball

Tournament

Lyle, New Mentality leader, Windsor Regional Children’s Centre

I will blend the arts community and the athletic community in an event to raise awareness about mental health.

Youth Engagement Opportunity

Spencer Fulton, Youth Leader, New Path Youth & Family Services

I will promote the New Path residence through youth voices. Wants to engage residents in all New Path services.