The Community Child Abuse Council has a new name – THRIVE Child and Youth Trauma Services – and has rebranded to more clearly reflect the agency’s aspirations and services. Find out more at www.thrivechildandyouth.ca
THRIVE Child and Youth Trauma Services
8 03 2015Comments : Leave a Comment »
Tags: child abuse, children, community, thrive, trauma
Categories : child abuse, children, community impact, Hamilton Ontario, mental health, newcomers, thriving, trauma
January 28: talking about mental health
25 01 2015The more we talk about mental illness, the more we combat the damaging stigma that keeps so many from seeking help and finding support. It’s not hard. It’s a conversation that needs to continue all year long, but January 28th is a good day to begin. Watch for events where you live or work, check social media, and have a conversation about mental health with someone you care about.
Simple conversations can make a big difference.
Add your voice to the national discussion. #BellLetsTalk
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Tags: community, education, health, media, mental health, prevention, social media
Categories : community engagement, education, health, media, mental health, social media
Thanks! Journeys of Change Wins $25,000 SpecKids Change Challenge
14 01 2015
If you were voting, a very big thank you! The Journeys of Change theatre project, an initiative of the Community Child Abuse Council, came out the winner of the $25,000 prize from the Hamilton Spectator’s SpecKids Change Challenge. The project will bring to life the stories and experiences of newcomer students in an educational and inspiring effort to build understanding and cultural awareness in our community. High school students across the region will see the production, and participating students (writing, design, production, staging, acting) will gain credit for their contributions.
The Council’s OASIS Program offers specialized supports and counseling for immigrant and refugee children, youth, and their families who are experiencing trauma symptoms or significant acculturation stress. An extension of the program has counselors working to to provide accessible support on-site within schools with the greatest number of newcomer students. These services are limited at this time, but remove some of the barriers that otherwise make it difficult for refugee students to access mental health supports.
Thanks to the Hamilton Spectator, SpecKids Unlimited, and the Change Challenge, the program can now extend further by involving newcomer students in a creative endeavour that builds community and helps to integrate and embrace our newest members.
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Tags: award, community, community building, education, immigrant, mental health, OASIS Program, refugees, students, theatre, youth
Categories : community development, community engagement, education, Hamilton Ontario, mental health, newcomers, theatre, youth
Journeys of Change youth theatre project needs support
9 11 2014VOTING CONTINUES ‘TIL NOVEMBER 30th – PLEASE KEEP UP YOUR SUPPORT! THANK YOU!
An innovative youth theatre project, Journeys of Change, has been selected as one of five finalists in the 2014 SpecKids Change Challenge (with a $25,000 prize). The project was submitted by the Community Child Abuse Council of Canada and is an extension of its OASIS Program – addressing the unique mental health needs of refugee and immigrant children, youth, and their families who are experiencing symptoms of trauma or serious acculturation difficulties. The project aims to share the stories of newcomer students through theatre, giving voice to their often difficult journeys and reinforcing messages of cultural understanding.
Voting begins on Monday, November 10th and closes on November 30th. Individuals may vote up to 5 times daily to support the project by going to the SpecKids web site: http://www.speckids.ca/change-challenge/finalists/details/community-child-abuse-council
The finalist with the most votes wins, so please consider supporting this worthwhile project – vote, vote daily, and encourage others to do the same. Thank you.
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Tags: community, education, mental health, prevention, youth
Categories : child abuse, children, community development, community engagement, community impact, Hamilton Ontario, media, mental health, social media, youth
From Far Away
7 09 2014
Based on the book From Far Away by Robert Munsch and Saoussan Askar, this short animation tells the story of Saoussan, a young girl struggling to adjust to life in Canada after being uprooted from her war-torn homeland. She has come to seek a quieter and safer life, although memories of war and death linger, memories that are awakened when the children at her new school prepare for a scary Halloween. From Far Away speaks to the power within us all to adapt like Saoussan and to welcome a newcomer (National Film Board).
From Far Away (2000, 6 min 39 sec)
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Tags: children, community, education, immigration, language, National Film Board, newcomers, refugees
Categories : children, media, mental health, parenting
Children’s Mental Health Week
4 05 2014Children’s mental health is important every day, all year long. But one week is set aside annually to focus on children’s mental health issues and awareness, and that week is May 4-10 this year. Take a moment to think about the many challenges, circumstances, conditions, illnesses, traumas, experiences, and other factors that can contribute to the mental health problems facing so many children. Then ask yourself what our community, our society, would be like if all children were happy, healthy and thriving…and what will we need to do to make that happen? 
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Tags: children, community, health, mental health, prevention, youth
Categories : children, community development, health, mental health, youth
1 in 3 Canadian Adults Have Experienced Child Abuse: New Study
23 04 2014
A just-published, first of its kind study has found what many in the field have known for some time – child abuse has a lasting impact on many Canadians. This new research confirms the link between serious adult mental health problems and experiences of childhood physical abuse, sexual abuse, and witnessing intimate partner violence.
Findings from the national study highlight the urgent need for a child abuse prevention strategy in Canada. Lead author Tracie Afifi of the University of Manitoba told CBC News that her team’s findings “indicate that 32 per cent of the adult population in Canada has experienced child abuse (i.e., physical abuse, sexual abuse and/or exposure to intimate partner violence) and that child abuse has robust associations with mental conditions”.
The study, published this week in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, found physical abuse to be most common (26%), followed by sexual abuse (10%) and exposure to intimate partner violence (8%). The authors highlight the need for reporting child abuse as well as understanding treatment implications.
To read the full journal article, visit www.cmaj.ca
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Tags: child abuse, children, community, education, health, media, mental health, prevention, research
Categories : child abuse, children, crime and violence, health, media, mental health, research
Talking about children…
17 04 2014
“Talking about the survival of children is not an act of charity. Children are the future of any society. If you want to know the future of any society look at the eyes of the children. If you want to maim the future of any society, you simply maim the children. Thus the struggle for the survival of our children is the struggle for the survival of our future. The quantity and quality of that survival is the measurement of the development of our society.”
Kenyan novelist Ngugi wa Thiong’o
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Tags: anti-violence, child abuse, children, community, education, family, health, mental health, Ngugi wa Thiong’o, youth
Categories : child abuse, children, community development, crime and violence, health, media, mental health, parenting, philanthropy, poverty, social media, systems, youth
Neighbourhood and Maternal-Infant Health in Hamilton
3 02 2014
A few months ago, the team of researchers conducting the Neighbourhood Study of Maternal and Infant Health in Hamilton hosted an invitational meeting to present their findings and to gather input from community members interested in this work. Their research focus looked at whether or not neighbourhood variations could be found in selected maternal-child health indicators. Does it matter if a new mother has lived in particular neighbourhood for a long time? Does neighbourhood play a role in pre-term birth?
The meeting was intended to get people talking about the research findings (including maps showing health indicators, like obstetrical complications, by census tract) and to hear from those who work in these neighbourhoods as well as those whose primary interest is maternal or infant health. It was seen as a starting point for sharing what the researchers learned, and seeing what the community might do to further their work or implement their findings.
The meeting was facilitated by Karen Smith. The link to the summary report is here: Neighbourhood Study of Maternal and Infant Health in Hamilton INVITATIONAL MEETING SUMMARY REPORT
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Tags: children, community, family, health, mental health, poverty, prevention, research, women
Categories : community development, EnMark Associates, Hamilton Ontario, health, mental health, parenting, poverty, research, women
The Power of Empathy
16 12 2013
Love this collaboration that brings together the wise and powerful words of Brene Brown with the simple yet poignant animation of Katy Davis…
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Tags: capacity, communications, education, empathy, support
Categories : mental health
EnMark Associates 