Faculty of Health at Dalhousie University is looking for inputs on a new Digital Health Tool.

The Faculty of Health at Dalhousie University is looking for participants to contribute to the design and timeline of a digital health tool to support youth mental health. The tool is being developed to support youth during times when mental health support services are inaccessible, which happened during the COVID-19 pandemic, and is likely to happen again in future public health crises.

The research is recruiting five groups of key informants that include: 1) academics and researchers; 2) policy and decision makers; 3) health care providers; 4) parents of youth (aged 11-18 yrs); and 5) youth (aged 11-18 yrs).

To be taken to the survey, please click here, or copy and paste the following link into your browser: https://survey.ucalgary.ca/jfe/form/SV_e8TkvjP6zC2xWm2

UNICEF's Report Card 18 is now available!

For more than twenty years, UNICEF Report Cards have measured child and youth well-being in wealthy countries. The first Report Card, in 2000, focused on child poverty for its extensive impacts across children’s lives and futures.

Report Card 18 returns to this focus at a critical time – when child poverty is rising in Canada for the first time in many years. This report compares levels of child poverty amidst wealth in the richest countries; the progress they have been making to end child poverty; and how well their policies protect every child from poverty.  

 Income support policies have lifted many children out of poverty and lifted Canada up the rankings in UNICEF Report Card 18 to 7th among 39 wealthy countries for its progress to reduce child poverty.  Only a handful of countries reduced child poverty at a steeper rate over the past decade. This is because good policies yield good rankings in UNICEF league tables. 

 But UNICEF Report Card 18 also shows us that Canada can’t check children off the policy to-do list just yet.  

To read the latest Report Card, please click here

National Child Day Events held by UNICEF Canada and Children First Canada

November 20, 2023, marks the 30th anniversary of National Child Day in Canada – it’s a day to honor Canada’s commitment to upholding the rights of children and two historic events: the 1959 signing of the UN Declaration of the Rights of the Child and the adoption of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1989. Globally, the day is known as World Children’s Day. This year, National Child Day promises to be the biggest event in history!

The Sandbox Project will join two partners to celebrate the day.

UNICEF Canada

Join UNICEF Canada, young people, partners, adult influencers, and decision-makers on November 20 for an intergenerational event to showcase young people’s recommendations for the future they envision in Canada and worldwide. Youth leaders across Canada are hosting a virtual showcase to discuss their recommendations to reimagine the future and recover together, specifically focusing on: Climate Change, Gender Equality, Healthcare, and Racial Justice and Indigenous Rights.

To register for this event: https://ow.ly/jNk450PZ1CK

Children First Canada

This year the theme is #EveryChildEveryRight because ALL 8 million kids in Canada should be able to experience ALL of their rights!

Last year more than 20,000 students and 200+ schools participated! Sign up as a classroom or with your whole school/organization to watch together.

To register for this event: https://nationalchildday.org/events/

Inspiring Healthy Futures is seeking a Managing Director

Inspiring Healthy Futures (IHF) is a pan-Canadian community comprised of cross-sectoral champions (individual and organizational) for children, youth and families. IHF was founded by four co-sponsors including the Canadian Institutes of Health Research Institute of Human Development, Child and Youth Health, Pediatric Chairs of Canada, UNICEF Canada and Children’s Healthcare Canada but includes over three hundred individuals and organizations committed to working together to advance child, youth and family health and wellbeing.

Inspiring Healthy Futures is seeking a dynamic and visionary leader to serve as the inaugural Managing Director. Drawing from a collective impact model, the Managing Director will co-develop and oversee all aspects of the network’s operations, programs, and strategic initiatives aimed at measurably improving child, youth and family health and wellbeing. This individual will be responsible for leading engagement, building pan-Canadian and International strategic partnerships, leading advocacy efforts and implementing effective strategies to achieve our vision, improve health equity and make a lasting impact for Canadian children, youth and families.

To learn more about the role and to apply, please click here

It's National Pain Awareness Week

Around 8 million Canadians, many of them children, live with pain—over 65% of children in hospitals experience painful procedures without any pain management in place. By raising awareness of best practices, The Solutions for Kids in Pain (SKIP) Project is working to improve pain management in Canadian health institutions.

To learn more about the work being done at SKIP, please visit: https://kidsinpain.ca/

Invitation to participate in a Youth Advisory Group for Alberta Youth

The University of British Columbia is inviting youth to help with a research study that is looking at how the COVID-19 pandemic may have affected youth mental health service use. The study will:

(1) identify patterns in how youth used health care services for mental health reasons before and after the COVID-19 pandemic started

(2) speak with youth, parents/caregivers, and service providers about their experiences to help us understand these patterns.  

By joining the Youth Advisory Group, members will join the research team in carrying out the study. Members will have the opportunity to learn about the research process which will use member’s experiences and insights to support the recruitment of study participants, data collection (information gathering), and data analysis (making sense of the information). 

Meetings will be held every 1-2 months from October 2023 to April 2024. An honorarium of $25 per meeting will be provided for participation.

To participate in the Youth Advisory Group, you must be 15 to 24 years old (there is flexibility here), currently living in Alberta, and have access to Zoom. 

For more information and to register, please email: mischa.taylor@ubc.ca or text 780-716-5761

MLSE Change the Game is looking for Survey Respondents!

The 2023 Change the Game Research Project is the third and final phase of a census-style study originally launched in 2021 in collaboration with the University of Toronto’s Dr. Simon Darnell. The project continues to explore sports access, engagement, and equity issues among Ontario youth amid our changing social and economic landscape. Data insights from the project continue to shape investment, programming, and policy decisions within and beyond Launch Pad.

Youth aged 6-29 and their Parents/Guardians are encouraged to participate in an online, anonymous survey.

Insights and recommendations generated will support funders and providers of youth sports to embrace a youth-first and data-driven approach that prioritizes the needs of young people while supporting positive social and economic outcomes.

Anyone who completes the survey will be eligible for a prize draw that includes tickets to future home games and customized apparel packages valued at $1000.

For More information, please visit: https://www.mlsefoundation.org/how-we-give/research

To complete the survey, please visit: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/changethegam

Children First Canada's Annual "Raising Canada" 2023 report is out!

Launched in 2018, Raising Canada is an annual series of reports on the state of the nation’s children. The report tracks the top 10 threats to childhood and highlights emerging threats like technology misuse and cross-cutting themes like access to healthcare and social services. For more than a decade, the state of childhood in Canada has been on the decline. Canada ranks 81st on the global Kids Rights Index and 30th out of 38 affluent nations for protecting the well-being of children.

Raising Canada 2023 is the sixth in an annual series of reports that track the top 10 threats to childhood. This year, the report highlights how children and youth have compounded, complex, and urgent needs in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and the recent “tripledemic”. 

The data also reveals that equity-deserving children and youth are disproportionately impacted by the top 10 threats – including young First Nations, Métis and Inuit children, people from racialized communities, 2SLGBTQIA+ youth and young people with disabilities.

What’s inside:

• The latest data on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the “tripledemic” on kids in Canada

• An equity, diversity, and inclusion lens applied throughout the report

• An analysis of the interconnection between threats

• Artistic expressions and quotes from children across Canada

• Recommendations and calls to action for the Government of Canada

Calls to Action

The following Calls to Action are a direct response to the findings in the Raising Canada report. They have been endorsed by Children First Canada’s Council of Champions, and developed with the input of children and youth from the Young Canadians’ Parliament:

1. Lead For and With Kids: Establish a Federal Commissioner for Children and Youth, develop a National Strategy for Children and Youth, and develop a national Data Strategy on the health and well-being of young Canadians.

2. Invest in Kids: Launch a Catalytic Investment Fund for Children over the next 4 years and publish a Children’s Budget.

3. Raise Them With Rights: Support child rights education and provide children and youth with a platform to exercise their rights as leaders of today and tomorrow.

To read the report, please click here

The YCRH are collaborating with TEAM work Collaborative to host "Youth Mental Health and Housing Crisis Webinar"

The Young Canadians Roundtable on Health (YCRH) will partner with TEAM Work Cooperative to host the Youth Mental Health and Housing Crisis Webinar on August 31st from 10:30-11:30 am Atlantic on Zoom.

The Webinar is an opportunity to explore how to approach conversations about mental health with young people and where to get further guidance to protect their well-being. The Webinar will also address the need for a space where other youth can connect and share experiences.

To register for free, please register: https://bit.ly/43Wddhn

The YCRH submits to the Pre-Budget 2024 consultations

The Young Canadians Roundtable on Health (YCRH) has submitted three recommendations to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance for the Pre-Budget 2024 Consultations.

The submission and recommendations result from carrying out environmental scans on what impacts youth and children in Canada and engaging stakeholders and experts to develop attainable action items.

The Submission can be found here: https://sandboxproject.ca/policy-and-publications

Ducks for Bucks- Synergy's annual fundraiser is happening soon!

This year’s Sandbox Impact Program partner, Synergy, is hosting its annual Ducks for Bucks Fundraiser on August 19th at 11:00 AM. The fundraiser is an opportunity for the community to get together and raise funds to support youth and community development programs in Chestermere, Langdon, and SE Rocky View- Alberta.

An obstacle race with swimming, sports activities, yard games, and other activities will take place on August 19th. Each competitor will randomly grab a rubber duck before completing the race, and prizes will be awarded to the individuals whose sponsored ducks obtain 1st, 2nd, and 3rd prizes.

Interested individuals/ organizations can also sponsor a duck. Ducks can be bought for $10 at the event or at the Lifepath Center for Community Leadership in Chestermere.

If you’d like to purchase a duck online, please visit: https://www.zeffy.com/en-CA/ticketing/adb5e572-f841-47cf-b5e6-06f6ee3fb55b

To learn more about this event and the work of Synergy, please visit: https://www.yoursynergy.ca/