GUELPH — This month, The Grove Wellington Guelph Hub, a site of Youth Wellness Hubs of Ontario offering a one-stop shop for youth mental health and wellness services, has continued to take a unique approach in addressing the youth mental health crisis.
Hiring youth ambassadors for the third time, The Grove aims to continue the program’s positive impacts on the lives of local youth.
Beginning in the spring of 2021, The Grove has hired youth ambassadors to fulfill a variety of roles within the organization.
Youth ambassadors oversee the drop-in programs at each of the hub sites, ensuring there is always a friendly face when youth arrive; provide tours of the facilities; engage in peer-to-peer support; and participate in programming including workshops and events.
Most importantly, youth ambassadors contribute to programming at The Grove, providing relatable services and content designed by youth, for youth.
“As youth ambassadors, we are in a unique position where we can allow our connections to grow in a very authentic way,” says Cachzmiera Wisniewski, a recently hired youth ambassador at The Grove Fergus.
“There aren’t many roles that allow for rapport building by playing pool and basketball or chatting about video games.”
While it may seem superficial to outside observers, it offers a sense of connection to youth visiting the hub, according to a press release.
“It shows them directly that we are interested in what they are interested in, which can mean the world to someone who might not be open to talking about some of the things going on in their personal lives,” Wisniewski said.
“Being a youth ambassador is being a peer that can offer a listening ear and some guidance as to what supports exist within The Grove or in the community.”
It is well known that there is a crisis in youth mental health, Grove officials say, noting their approach is to utilize youth in the solution. And it has proved to be a successful tactic, with youth attendees and youth ambassadors reporting a high level of comfortability and relatability with peer-to-peer support.
The Grove, in partnership with the Canadian Mental Health Association Waterloo Wellington (CMHA WW), has seen demand for youth mental health services increase by 40 per cent in 2021, and estimates that four out of five youth are struggling with mental health or substance use issues in Guelph and Wellington County.
As of January 2022, there are 71 youth and young adults waiting for psychiatry services, 85 youth waiting for counselling and treatment services, and 159 young adults waiting for dialectical behaviour treatment services in Guelph and Wellington area.
There are currently 3,678 people waiting for ongoing mental health and addictions care in Waterloo Wellington.
CMHA WW’s Here 24/7 service coordinators continue to do their best to connect people to available care in the community including counselling partners, but there are critical capacity issues across the entire system.
Of the 146,000 youth between the ages of 12 and 26 living in Guelph and Wellington County, it is estimated that over half are now in need of mental health and wellness services.
The Grove recognizes that being relevant and relatable is critical in reaching youth in the community.
And youth ambassadors help them do that.
Currently working on opening its sixth and seventh locations in Guelph and Wellington County, The Grove has seen over 9,000 youth visits since September 2021.
This includes over 5,700 youth drop-in visits, over 2,000 wellness/recreation visits, over 1,300 employment/education visits, 80 walk in counselling visits, 16 visits for substance use support and 15 visits for 2SLGBTQI support.
For more information about The Grove, visit www.thegrovehubs.ca.
