Every Mind Matters Newsletter June 2021 Edition From The Psychology Foundation of Canada

Greetings! With pandemic restrictions easing up and summer fast approaching there is a growing sense of optimism and hope. We understand that the road ahead is still unpredictable, but we can take some joy that better days will come. In this issue: We would like to invite you to our 17th Annual Breakfast for Champions. This is our single biggest campaign to raise funds for our cause.  We recognize National Indigenous History Month and Pride Month by highlighting resources and webinars that honour and highlight members of Indigenous and LGBTQ+ communities.  We thank our supporters who continue to provide financial contributions to ensure that every child in Canada thrives, and highlight some new and excited resources made possible by the generosity of these supporters. We continue our "Getting to Know our Trustees" series by learning more about Dr. Diana Brecher and her work on resilience. Please take the time to read what we are up to and how you can help support and advance the mental health of children and youth.

You are invited to our 17th Annual Breakfast for Champions

Thriving Is Our Birthright: Using Resilience Beyond Survival

Keynote Speaker

Special volunteer performance

Dr. Natasha Williams, Radical Self-Care and Self-Leadership Expert, Clinical Psychologist, Best-selling author and International Speaker.

Canadian Country Music and Juno award winning Brett Kissel performing Gold Certified hit Tough People Do.

Thank you to our Breakfast Sponsors for your support  and commitment to nurturing resilience in children and youth.

Presenting Sponsor:

Platinum:  Leanne and George Lewis

Silver

Michael dePencier Heading Here

Harriet Lewis

Corporate Friends: Alter Psychology Professional Corporation

Ready to support our cause!

Let's honour National Indigenous History Month and Pride Month

Check out Dr. Michelle Aihina Inkinsh Holhpokunna Johnson-Jenning's Wellness Webinar on: Indigenous health and wellbeing: Considerations for working with youth.

Watch Scout Gray and Ashleigh Yule's Wellness Webinar on: Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Inclusivity: Building Resilience and Well-being in Youth.

How can we talk with our kids about Indigenous History Month? For centuries, Indigenous peoples have used storytelling to keep their histories and traditions alive. Share some of this rich history with your kids by reading Indigenous children’s book authors.

Pride Month is a great opportunity to teach your kids about what it means to be LGBTQ+. Don’t know how to start the conversation? Here are some great books for kids and teens by Canadian LGTBQ+ writers.

Getting to know our Trustee Dr. Diana Brecher and her work on resilience

We are fortunate to have Dr. Diana Brecher as a member of our Board of Trustees. Dr. Diana Brecher is a clinical psychologist who has been working at the Ryerson Counselling Centre since 1991. Five years ago, Diana started the ThriveRU program, which is deeply rooted in positive psychology and is dedicated to teaching resilience. Did you know she also created a five factor model of resilience consisting of mindfulness, gratitude, optimism, self-compassion, and grit? Read more here.

Thank you to our supporters for helping us ensure that every child in Canada thrives!

Thank you to the Jackman Foundation for for your ongoing support and for ensuring our children and youth have the opportunity to thrive.

Thank you, RBC Future Launch, for continuing to support the delivery of our Stress Lessons: Tools for Resiliency to child-serving professionals across the country.We have expanded our efforts in new areas of delivery, including direct to students in Winnipeg, Manitoba

Welcome back CIBC: we will continue our efforts in British Columbia through the delivery of our Resiliency Building programs to over 300 Indigenous child serving professionals. We are grateful for our partnership with DashBC, who has been instrumental in supporting our outreach efforts in this area.

Welcome back Laidlaw: the Mawachi Hitowiin Youth Collective has been successful in the next stage of funding. We are continuing to meet with our partners in the Mushkegowuk Region of James Bay to develop an integrated system of mental health support that will be available to all in the communities.

Welcome to: Hodgson Family Foundation, who are generously funding efforts to expand our reach in the GTA.

Our first ever online silent auction was a success! Thanks to those who participated, your support is helping us deliver our much-needed resilience building programs to communities across Canada.

What’s New: reaching more kids and new resources

We are proud to report on an amazing partnership we have forged with Saskatchewan Ministry of Education. In April we had the opportunity to train 95 of their staff members on Kids Have Stress Too! Grades 1-6 and we also distributed 150 Kids Have Stress Too! Grades 1-3 guides.

On Monday June 28th, Trustee and Child Psychologist Dr. Rebecca Pillai Riddell kicked off our new partnership with leading national entertainment brand YTV. A three-part segment will be airing on their popular after-school block The Zone and will also feature Dr. Robin Alter and Dr. Kofi-Len Belfon answering viewers’ questions on mental health. Watch Dr. Becca help Z-Heads Lily and Noah manage their feelings. Thanks Dr. Becca!

“In April 2021, the Ministry of Education partnered with Strong Minds Strong Kids to distribute approximately 150 Kids Have Stress Too! grades 1 to 3 printed resources and trainings to Saskatchewan school-based staff. This exciting opportunity provided school staff with strategies to help create an emotionally safe classroom environment by teaching children how to recognize and deal with stress, promote self-regulation strategies and build resiliency. The distribution of this resource was a great opportunity to support students and staff during this time of change and transition.” – Saskatchewan Ministry of Education

We are delighted to announce a new partnership with Friendship In Action. The Stress Busters Summer Camp will be a unique hybrid of FIA’s talk, listen, connect peer-support approach and our Kids Have Stress Too! program. Twelve children ages 9-12 from the Guelph area will meet online with us over the course of the summer for 16 fun and engaging sessions that will focus on what we can do to manage our stress during these stressful times. We are grateful for support from the Upper Grand District School Board for making this program happen!

Thanks to generous support from the Bell Let’s Talk Fund, we have developed a fun and fresh activity book for kids to explore stress and resilience. The Stress Busters Activity book is based on our Kids Have Stress Too! Grades 4-6 program and offers kids of this age a variety of activities they can do together with their parent, mentor, teacher, or coach. We are in the final stages of preparing the book for distribution to all of the kids and mentors with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Calgary and Area. Stay tuned for more information on how you can purchase the book in our store.

We are seeking volunteer members for our new Youth Advisory Council

We are constantly working to ensure our evidence-based and evaluated programs maintain relevance and value to the children and youth they were designed for. Being a member of this Advisory Council will give youth the opportunity to be a representative for their community. We are looking for youth ages 13-17, who can commit to meeting online 4 times per year for at least a one year commitment (August 2022). Read more details on how to apply here.

This June, every $1 donated to us via CanadaHelps enters us for a chance to WIN $20,000. Donate now and help us to nurture resilience and support the mental well-being of kids and youth across Canada.

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We want to hear from you: How can we best support you in nurturing resilience in the kids in your life? Please contact us with your feedback and suggestions

When you invest in Strong Minds Strong Kids, Psychology Canada you invest in a brighter future for our children and youth ensuring they have every opportunity to thrive.

Strong Minds Strong Kids, Psychology Canada From The Psychology Foundation of Canada Phone: 416 644 4944 Email: info@strongmindsstrongkids.org Website: StrongMindsStrongKids.org

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