Last fall, Jack.org students and staff sailed off to Victoria to meet with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to share their work in youth mental health. It was an exciting start to the year, and it confirmed our work was gaining traction not only here in Canada, but around the world. This prompted a daunting but exciting question – where do we go next?
As always, our student leaders stepped up to that challenge with energy, enthusiasm, and a relentless commitment to change.
Just three years ago, we launched our Jack Talks, Jack Chapter, and Jack Summit programs. All Jack.org programs are firmly grounded in evidence, and consistent rigorous evaluation ensures we know we're making an impact.
Upwards of 80 per cent of young people in our programs say Jack.org’s leadership training and opportunities equip them to be effective advocates for youth mental health.
It’s not just the depth – the scale of change is also unprecedented. Jack.org students are driving change in every province and territory. This past year, youth in our network led Jack Chapters on 116 campuses, delivered 166 Jack Talks, and connected at 10 Jack Summits across the country.
Together, they started 140,000 mental health conversations with their peers during the school year.
Outside of their school networks, students were front and centre in close to 500 media stories about Jack.org. News about their efforts to drive Canada's youth mental health movement made more than 125 million impressions in markets across the country. Their energy, commitment, and voices are having a profound impact across Canada.
We are witnessing the makings of a revolution in youth mental health – and our young leaders are only just getting started.
On behalf of Jack.org’s Board of Directors, thank you for investing in our students and their vision: a Canada where every young person can talk about their mental health and get the help they need and deserve.
- Gillian Evans, Board Chair
2016-2017 Audited Financial StatementsJack Talks delivered
Jack Chapters across Canada
Regional Summit hosted
Jack Talks delivered
Jack Chapters across Canada
Regional Summits hosted
trained youth-led groups working year round to identify and break down barriers to positive mental health in their communities.
After attending the 2017 Jack Summit, Shania started a Jack Chapter at Aurora College in Yellowknife. "People need to be taught that everyone has mental and physical health. If you do not feel that your mental health is being taken care of you should feel comfortable to seek help. That understanding mostly exists with physical health, so why not mental health? By starting this Jack Chapter, hopefully we can start the conversation around mental health and begin to educate the communities around us about mental health and the steps they can take to break the stigma."
After attending the 2017 Jack Summit, Shelby worked with Shania to start the Jack Chapter at Aurora College in Yellowknife. "Yellowknife needs more resources, more support and more awareness of mental health. Unfortunately, we deal with a population that has severe issues with having a well-balanced mental health state. And our resources are minimal and underemployed to help the people who are desperate for assistance. I plan to help my community by advocating for better resources, becoming a social worker, and being there for anyone in need to talk about their mental health state."
professionally trained and certified youth speakers using the power of personal stories to inspire, engage, educate, and equip young people to take care of themselves, their peers, and to take action in their community.
Julie has helped us expand into francophone Canada with a French-speaking Jack Chapter and Jack Talks at Université de Montréal. "Dans mon entourage, la stigmatisation est un enjeu problématique. L’Université de Montréal est un milieu compétitif où le fait d’être stressé(e) et d’être constamment occupé(e) sont considérés comme étant les clés du succès. Cependant, cet environnement peut nuire à la santé mentale et au bien-être des étudiants. En effet, plusieurs étudiants n’iront pas chercher l’aide dont ils ont besoin, puisqu’ils seront perçus comme faibles ou incompétents, s’ils ne sont pas capables de suivre le rythme de cette culture compétitive."
The network put together priorities and action plans for the coming year (scroll for all priorities).
Talk at the Top was founded in 2012 to honour the legacy of Owen Tucker, a North Shore Vancouver resident diagnosed with bipolar disorder and obsessive compulsive disorder. Our promise to Owen – and others like him – is to create a brighter future for those struggling with their mental health. In 2017, delegates at Talk at the Top left the day with the knowledge and skills to take action and change the mental health conversation in their communities. Students said they learned how to collaborate more effectively, find solutions to their problems, be confident in their messages, and find outside supporters for their work.
of Jack Talks audience members feel more open to talking about mental health.
of Jack Chapter students say their Jack.org training prepares them to start mental health conversations and advocate in their communities.
of delegates say Jack Summit gave them the skills they need to take action for mental health.
"We formed Team Soko, our ride and volunteer team, to commemorate my brother. I was astonished at the sheer number of people we know who donated on Paul's behalf. That display of kindness in itself provided an overwhelming sense of empathy. It was a cathartic experience for my mother to volunteer, and provided me with a sense of accomplishment towards a very necessary, unified goal. When the final total raised was announced, it proved to me that there are multitudes of people who want to fight the stigma and provide help." - Deanna Sokoloski
Our #RideYourWay series works to raise funds in the community, while reaching people outside of the mental health conversation through world-class production value.
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with endurance cyclist Larry Optis
with Paralympian Josh Cassidy
with Surf the Greats