Youth Engagement KM in the PM- December 2

The YorkU KM Unit will be hosting a KM of the PM event on Wednesday, December 2nd. The topic of the afternoon will focus on youth engagement, with brief presentations by researchers and community leaders, followed by ample time for questions, discussion, and networking.

Confirmed Panelists:

• Gordon Flett, Faculty of Health, Associate Dean of Research, Canada Research Chair (Personality and Health)

• Sandra Cunning, Clinical Director, Research and Evaluation, Kinark Child and Family Services

• Joanne McQuiggan, Executive Director, Thrive! The Canadian Centre for Positive Youth Development

Invited Panelists:

• Ontario Ministry of Child and Youth Services, to speak about their recent document – Realizing Potential: Our Children, Our Youth, Our Future: Ontario Ministry of Children and Youth Services Strategic Framework 2008-2012.

• Mobilizing Minds, Youth-friendly mental health resources and decision aids that will assist young adults and those who support them make informed choices about mental health treatment options.

Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Time: 1:30 to 4:00 pm. Coffee and light refreshments will be served.

Location: York University, Keele Campus, York Research Tower, 5th Floor, Board of Governors Room

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Space is limited. Kindly RSVP kejensen@yorku.ca to confirm your attendance.

GET HONEST: Our Youth Matter Event – April 22nd

The YorkU KM Unit is pleased to announce the following event hosted by our friends the York Region Alliance to End Homelessness and StreetKids International:

ResearchImpact helps to launch Mobilizing Minds: Pathways to Young Adult Mental Health

David Phipps, ResearchImpact/York University
Tara Syed, Mobilizing Minds/Trent University

Mobilizing Minds is a $1.5M CIHR funded 5 year KM project which is a partnership between young adults and academic researchers (jointly lead by York and UManitoba). The project will develop tools to inform young adults’ decisions about mental health and will also study the process of KM and young adult/adult partnership. This past weekend (Feb 28 and March 1) the young adult leaders and adult mentors met at the Centre of Excellence for Youth Engagement in Toronto to launch the youth engagement aspect of the project. Young adults received an over view of the project and learned the basics of KM through the KM Rap (which may, or may not, be coming to a video near you…). The young adult leaders brainstormed ideas for young adult engagement on all the project teams and the young adult leaders identified two projects of particular interest to them.

1) By examining key organizations that have already undertaken the integrated health team approach, the young adult team will create a model for the integration of health care professionals into centres where normally only primary care physicians would be accessible. Another goal in this initiative is to develop the structure for a youth advisory board to provide feedback to the health team and to identify a youth advocate to help navigate new comers to the system.

2) Increase public awareness and education about treatment options (includes conventional medicine, alternative therapies, and psychological/cognitive therapies) available to those experiencing mental health issues and disorders. Efficacy, side effects and withdrawal symptoms, if any, will be included in the discussion of each treatment option.

Tara Syed is a 3rd year Biology major at Trent University and, partnered with ResearchImpact’s David Phipps, is the young adult leader on the Community Partnership Team. In addition to getting community and practitioner input into the Mobilizing Minds project Tara identified that it was equally important to get young adult input into policy decisions in community and practitioner organizations. Tara and David agreed to identify lead community and practitioner champions in Toronto and Peterborough and jointly develop a strategy for community engagement on the project.

A big thank you to those community organizations who have already given their support to the project. You’ll be hearing from us.