Former NHL goaltender Corey Hirsch will address youth mental health and strategies for dealing with this growing issue May 14 at St. Albert’s Arden Theatre. He also will speak to students at Bellerose and St. Albert High schools earlier in the day.
Hosted by the St. Albert Community Foundation, proceeds from the event will go to the Foundation’s Youth Mental Health Fund. The fund was launched in 2016 to support agencies providing support to local youth.
“Every dollar they're giving is going directly to help a youth in crisis, and probably a mental health crisis,” said Shauna Vanderheide, community intake counsellor with the Community and Social Development with the city.
According to Vanderheide, there is more stigma surrounding mental health issues in St. Albert, especially among young people.
“I think sometimes St. Albert gets a rap of, you know, ‘we're all good out here’, or a ‘high socio economic community, we don't have the problems other communities have’, but our youth struggle.”
Vanderheide, who works with young people between the ages of 16 and 24 years old, said there’s typically a long wait list for youth needing access to psychological services. She hopes the fundraiser will raise awareness, but also increase the ability of the foundation to meet young people’s needs faster.
Last year the fundraiser brought in $3,500, which helped the foundation connect young people to various mental health supports in St. Albert and the surrounding area.
While sitting in a room and talking to a counsellor is highly effective for many, some youth may need a different approach, Vanderheide said.
“There's also equine trauma therapists, so they're actually trained to utilize the horse in their therapy sessions,” she explained. “Sitting in a clinical office can be overwhelming. And this therapist utilizes the ability to have the horse in the room as sort of a buffer and a support system.”
Last year, intake counsellors at the Community and Social Development department experienced an increase of 33 per cent more people than in 2017. Eighty-seven youth received assistance, and 59 youth case files were opened – 28 per cent higher than in 2017.
According to Alberta Health Services' website, early support and intervention for youth is "vital". The health organization said half of all lifetime mental health cases start by the time a youth reaches 14 years.
Kent Davidson, president of the St. Albert Community Foundation, said the fundraiser helps shed a light on mental health issues among youth in the community.
“What's really important is that it educates people who are dealing with children, whether they're sports coaches or youth group leaders, in identifying mental health issues,” he said.
Davidson said the fundraiser is an important way to start conversations and reduce stigma. Many people still fear stepping forward, worrying they'll be negatively stereotyped or discriminated against for having mental health struggles. He hopes hearing Hirsch as he shares his personal story will help alleviate some of those concerns.
The event takes place from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Arden Theatre. Tickets are available for $25 from the Arden box office, or online at: https://www.ticketmaster.ca/Arden-Theatre-tickets-St-Albert/venue/139308. See the ad in today’s paper for information on a limited number of free tickets.
