Grant: Planning and Dissemination Grant - Institute Community Support

Mental health and addiction (MHA) challenges often begin during youth, a time of major life changes. In Canada, about 1.2 million young people face MHA issues, yet fewer than 20% receive the care they need. Navigation services - personalized supports that help youth and families find and access the right care - are emerging across Canada to address these gaps. However, these services often work in isolation, and there is no national system to help them learn from each other and improve together. This project aims to develop a national "learning community" called the NavLearn Network, which will bring together youth MHA navigation programs, youth and families with lived experience, researchers, and decision-makers. This community will be the first step toward creating a Learning Health System (LHS) for youth MHA navigation in Canada. An LHS is a system that uses data, research, and collaboration to continuously improve care. The NavLearn Network will support shared learning, identify common goals, and plan how to use data and evidence to improve navigation services across the country. Activities will include updating a national scan of navigation programs, inviting members to join the NavLearn Network, and host two virtual meetings to identify shared goals and plan future research and funding proposals. We will also create newsletters, online discussions, and other tools to help people stay connected and informed. This work will lay the foundation for a national LHS that helps all youth access timely, effective, and personalized MHA care, when and where they need it.