Undercurrent’s mandate is to create the conditions wherein every child and youth in Cape Breton will have every opportunity to live in freedom from poverty, addiction, and hopelessness so they can reach their full potential.
The Hope Network – Youth Substance Use Prevention Program will focus on youth aged 5-18 in Glace Bay, New Waterford, and surrounding areas. It will place special emphasis on including, engaging, and addressing the needs of Black, Indigenous, and people of colour (BIPOC), 2SLGBTQIA+, and girls/women. In the Eastern Health Zone, including Glace Bay and New Waterford, over half of young adults struggle with alcohol, and the region has the highest opioid-related death rates in Nova Scotia. These communities also experience high child poverty rates, long mental health service wait times, widespread substance use issues, and lower levels of hope and trust among youth compared to older residents. This project hopes to strengthen community engagement by establishing advisory boards consisting of members from diverse sectors. These boards will help identify community needs and adapt the Icelandic Prevention Model (IPM) to the local context.
The project works with three advisory groups: a Youth Advisory Group, which includes youth ages 14-25 and grounds the youth perspective in planning and decision-making; an Educational Advisory Group consisting of educators and school staff who advocate for school-community partnerships; and a Community Advisory Group which includes parents, professionals and community members. In addition, Undercurrent Youth Society has established the Hope Network Coalition and the Cape Breton Youth Congress, composed of local students aged 14 to 24, that will inform local prevention strategies, identify emerging trends, and advise key stakeholders. The Youth Congress will also support co-design, implementation, and evaluation of interventions under the guidance of two leading researchers from Cape Breton University.
Undercurrent Youth Society, a community hub serving approximately 500 youth and 1500 individuals in the Glace Bay and New Waterford area, leads this project. This organization provides community-based programming to strengthen protective factors that promote overall health and well-being among youth living in rural regions of the Maritimes.
Research collaborative
Using a Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) approach, Undercurrent Youth Society will work with Drs. Grittner and McLaren from Cape Breton University to assess trauma-informed design interventions that are co-designed with the Youth Congress.
Lead organization: Undercurrent Youth Society
Website: The Hope Network • Undercurrent Youth Society
Contact: Trevor DenHartogh, Sefin Stefura
Location: Glace Bay and New Waterford, Nova Scotia
Glace Bay and New Waterford have a rich history of hard work, community connectedness and pride that have been challenged by economic downturn, significant substance use challenges and higher than average child-poverty rates.
This project is funded as part of the Public Health Agency of Canada’s Youth Substance Use Prevention Program (YSUPP). Learn more here.
