A Youth Summit for Mental Health is taking place on Thursday.
Youth aged 12-19 will be able to take part in a variety of interactive workshops at the Hastings and District School Board building on 156 Ann St in Belleville.
Heather McColman, with the Belleville and Quinte West Community Health Centre, says the idea came from a volunteer at the health centre.
“A volunteer with our health centre, her name is Alisha Haseeb, she’s actually a second year student at McMaster University. She likes to volunteer with the help centre but wanted to do something that really focused on youth and mental health, as well as health literacy,” McColman tells Quinte News.
“So we decided why not see if maybe some community partners in the area would like to come together and organize some workshops that really focus on youth wellness.”
From 9:30 a.m to 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, students will be able to take part in different workshops that last around 45 minutes.
Each workshop will be led by a youth facilitator and an adult mentor.
“One of the things that we’re hoping as an outcome is that youth will be more educated about how to care for themselves, how to be supportive of their peers but also engage in our community,” McColman explained.
“So, figure out, do they want to be involved in a social group or club or an organization? Do they want to volunteer? Do they want to be more socially active and have their voices heard?”
McColman says the students will be able to roam around to different workshops throughout.
“We have a variety of workshops recognizing that the needs of youth for their mental wellness isn’t just based on sitting and being educated but learning in what ways can they do things to care for themselves and improve their mental wellness,” McColman said.
As of Wednesday, approximately 60 kids have signed up with the centre. The hope is to fill it to 75.
More information about the summit can be found at the centre’s Eventbrite page.
