COMMUNITY WELLNESS AND SAFETY
Commitment 4.5.2 – We will fund after-school programs that build physical literacy and resiliency among youth through the efficient delivery of the Children and Youth Resiliency Program.
We will fund after-school programs that build physical literacy and resiliency among youth through the efficient delivery of the Children and Youth Resiliency Program.
Background:
The Children and Youth Resiliency Program (CYRP) was launched in 2014 to help communities start or expand programs that support mental health and physical activity.
Physical activity, sport and recreation programs are excellent ways to support the development of positive lifestyle and mental health choices for youth.
Front line children and youth program staff are often the first to notice and identify potential mental health problems and are in a position to identify and assist with mental health problems provided they have the proper training.
The Minister’s Forum on Addictions and Community Wellness identified a clear need for more quality youth programming to support mental wellness in youth. “It is a well-established fact that prevention and early intervention programs are more cost-effective in the long run than treatment programs are.”[1]
CYRP training includes Mental Health First Aid training as well as training in physical literacy and physical health and development.
The Children and Youth Resiliency Program provides funding to organizations that provide services to people under 25 years of age and children between the ages of 6-12 years of age.
The Children and Youth Resiliency Program will provide $15,000 in funding for each community in the NWT annually (Milestone 1). This funding will be available to community governments, education authorities, and organizations that provide services to children and youth.
To ensure MACA is efficiently delivering the CYRP, the Department will review the program in 2018 (Milestone 2).
Links to other activities
Education Renewal and Innovation Framework: Directions for Change
The Departments of Health and Social Services (HSS), Municipal and Community Affairs (MACA), Education and Education Culture and Employment (ECE) jointly developed the GNWT Healthy Choices Framework to support cross government goals in healthy living.
For more information about this initiative, please contact the Department of:
Education, Culture and Employment or Municipal and Community Affairs
[1] A Shared Path Towards Wellness, Mental Health and Addictions Plan, Page 13