Project Spotlight: Jack.org

Adapting and Scaling Jack.org’s Youth Mental Health Education Programming

Delivering the “Jack Talks” and “Be There” programs to Indigenous, Francophone, racialized, and 2SLGBTQI+ communities across Canada

WHO
WHAT
HOW
WHERE
WHY

Young people aged 15 to 24 of all racial, ethnic, and gender identities and expressions.
Adult allies who work with young people aged 15 to 24, such as high school and post-secondary educators, and camp staff across Canada.

Objectives

To advance mental health promotion, stigma reduction, and early recognition of mental health problems. It will empower young people and youth allies to build knowledge, confidence, and skills to care for their own mental health, safely support others who may be struggling, and create supportive environments for youth mental health in diverse communities across the country.

Project activities will increase the mental health literacy of young people, decreasing the shame that prevents them from seeking help, and building their knowledge of available mental health supports:

Scale and adapt the Be There program to teach young people mental health education and skills to support their peers.
Design and launch an adapted version of the Jack Talks program (Jack Talks 2.0), to enable young people with advanced mental health knowledge to continue their learning beyond foundational mental health concepts and build skills to support themselves and others.
Create and promote an accessible digital library of mental health resources for educators to use, in conjunction with Jack Talks, to create lesson plans specific to the mental health needs and interests of students.

Settings

Schools
Community-based organizations

Implementation sites

National

- Jack.org conducted a global landscape scan and found that no resource existed that was evidence-based, comprehensive, and engaging for young people to learn vital skills in supporting mental health.
- Jack.org surveyed 1,200 young people across Canada and found 83% had supported a friend struggling with their mental health, but only 39% felt they were adequately prepared to offer the support that was needed.

In the words of the project team members

“The outcome that we’re really looking to drive towards here is helping young people learn about mental health – learn about how to take care of their own mental health and others – but in a way that works for them and in a language that really resonates with them.”