Southridge Junior School grade four’s in the International Baccalaureate Program visited CHV to learn more about youth homelessness. The grade four students selected a real life issue, researched it, take action as a result of their findings and then presented their findings at a special exhibition.
They sent Mark this great card thanking him for teaching them about youth homelessness. We wish them good luck on their project!
Be sure to check out Wear to Care Clothing Swap if your in North Vancouver:
There are lots of events taking place this weekend for Mental Health Week including the one listed below on Saturday, click here to see all the events taking place in the Lower Mainland.
CMHA Vancouver Burnaby Branch and Mood Disorders Association of BC Exhibit & Information Table—May 12
Learn more about the programs and services of CMHA Vancouver Burnaby branch and the Mood Disorders Association of BC at their exhibit and information table at McGill Library, 4595 Albert St., 1-3pm. Visit http://www.mdabc.net/ or http://www.vancouver-burnaby.cmha.bc.ca/ to learn more about either organization.
It is not to late to donate in honour of your mother! Get the details here.
Have a fun and healthy weekend!
I’ve been working with “Johnny” since August of 2011. His first stay with Covenant House was back in March 2010 and since then; he has had 14 stays with us. The duration of those 14 stays were typically for one or two days and this youth usually left without telling anyone where he was going. He didn’t invest much time into building any relationships with his youth workers. Johnny battled daily with his mental health.
This stay, Johnny received a new diagnosis of “Bipolar Disorder”. He said to me, “Jackie, I’m Bi-polar. I guess I’m one of those people now”. A couple of weeks went by and Johnny was struggling, but he came to terms with the fact that he was Bipolar and battled through some of the stigmas associated with the diagnosis, like a true warrior. He has attended all of his doctor’s appointments, educated himself on a daily basis of his diagnoses, remembered to take his medication, has built relationships with his workers and is even currently attending school.
One day this week, Johnny approached me and asked if he could make a request. His request was to be given permission for a weekend visit with his family. Historically, Johnny has had a particularly fragile relationship with his family and he has been through a lot because of it. He left his family home when he was 13 years old, as he and his step-father did not get along. Now he wanted to visit them. This request was granted and Johnny was super excited!
Today, when Johnny returned to Covenant House after his weekend away he couldn’t wait to tell me all about the weekend and how well he got along with his family! He spent the majority of his time helping his step-father demolish rotted wood decking. He described every last detail and explained every emotion he experienced over the weekend. He reported that he got along really well with his family, particularly his step father who he has had a great deal of conflict with, growing up. He got along so well with them that he has decided to request to stay with his family for another week very soon!
Mental Health Week is a national event that encourages people to learn, discuss, listen and engage around the topic of mental health. This year's Mental Health Week theme is Mental Health for All!
The Canadian Mental Health Association has wonderful information regarding mental health and about events for Mental Health Week. One section worth exploring is "Kids Have Stress Too!"
At Covenant House Vancouver we believe it is important to be open and frank about mental health as this reduce stigma and encourages people to reach out and get help if they need it.
We hope this picture of Walter relaxing improves your mental health for the day and brings you some joy!
