Grant: CIHR Café Scientifique Program - Open Pool

The Family Navigation Project (FNP) is a non-profit, free-of-charge service for youth ages 13-26 with mental health and/or addiction (MHA) concerns and their families. The Youth Advisory Council at the FNP is committed to empowering youth in the Greater Toronto Area to learn more about MHA concerns and connect with the care they need. An important way that they aim to achieve this goal is by spreading awareness about mental wellness and important resources that can support the needs of diverse youth. In line with this goal, this Café series looks to provide youth across the GTA with a safe and open space to discuss topics related to mental wellness and navigating the MHA care system. Each Cafés will focus on one of four key topics identified by the YAC as being of importance to youth across the GTA: 1.Depression and anxiety 2.Eating disorders and body image challenges 3.Gender-queer identities 4.Navigating the youth MHA system with financial restrictions The Café will be designed by YAC members in collaboration with the research, clinical, and management teams at the FNP. Each Café panel will consist of YAC members, a research team member (e.g., Principal Investigator), and a clinical team member (e.g., intake coordinator, navigator, or youth advocate with lived experience). Each Café will be facilitated in a hybrid format. Youth participants can join in person, at youth-friendly community space, or online, via Zoom. Participants who attend in person will be provided light refreshments, take-home resource materials, and will be reimbursed for transportation costs to facilitate access to the Cafés. Participants who attend online will be provided with the take-home resource (in a digital format). Insights from each Cafés will be disseminated through a set of one-page summaries, which will be posted on the FNP website. We will also include the slide deck from each Café for youth and the general public to be able to access this information.