Annual Report 2019.Indd
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Annual Report 2019 1 PREVENT SUPPORT EMPOWER 2 2018 in Numbers 4 A Message from the Chairman of the Board and the Executive Director 5 Our Mission 6 Highlights 8 Fundraising Activities 16 Board of Directors and Volunteers 32 Establishments Visited 34 Our Partners and Donors 39 Table of contents 33 2019 in numbers 1 533 6 100 presentations partners and donors in schools $2.2M RAISED 30 fundraisers organized by ambassadors of 563 our cause* young 73 people volunteers who found help** 25 board members invested in our programs and in support of organizations projects $1.7M complementary to our action *Personal fundraisings and organization of events for the benefit of our Foundation. **Young people who consulted the resources of the school following our visit. 4 A Message from the Chairman of the Board and the Executive Director 2019 : what a year of growth and great achievements it has been for Fondation Jeunes en Tête! Once again, our entire team and board of directors rallied together to carry out our mission of preventing psychological distress in young people aged 11 to 18 in Quebec. We would like to highlight in particular the launch of our new Mental Health Basics workshop, which targets young people in the first and second years of secondary school. This workshop offers young people the keys to good mental health and helps reduce the risk of developing anxiety or depression. We hope that these concepts, essential to their development, will guide them harmoniously throughout their adolescence. Also, the fall saw the publication of our Portrait of Youth Well-Being, in collaboration with the Institut national de recherche scientifique. This study enabled us to identify major trends in young Quebecers’ physical and mental health for every region of the province. You will find the highlights later in this report. However, young people still need their loved ones and services to navigate their journey to adulthood. This is why we are so grateful for the support we receive from our faithful donors year after year. We also want to thank the ever-increasing number of people who develop fundraisers to allow us to continue our activities. Enjoy the report! Éric Bujold President, National Bank Private Banking 1859, Chairman of the Board invested in our programs and Fondation Jeunes en Tête in support of organizations projects Mélanie Boucher complementary to our action Executive Director, Fondation Jeunes en Tête 5 Our mission Our mission at Fondation Jeunes en Tête is to prevent psychological distress among youth aged 11 to 18 in Quebec. We accomplish this mission by reaching out to teenagers in schools through our Partners for Life program, and by supporting recognized community organizations that complement our work. We also create a synergy among all youth advocates and stakeholders in order to maximize our joint impact on young people. Why act to prevent psychological distress among young people? Psychological distress is at the core of most issues faced by adolescents. Mental health issues, bullying, substance abuse, and dropping out of school are just a few examples. Why choose the Foundation? We have developed an expertise and knowledge of the problems experienced by young people, so your donations are always invested to yield the best possible impact. By investing in the prevention of adolescent distress, it is possible to save almost 25% in public services per person over the course of their lives, as we would then avoid dramatic consequences requiring rehabilitation. Fondation Jeunes en Tête is also a catalyst for helping youth. How? Through research, the sharing of best practices, and the creation of a better synergy between organizations throughout Quebec. Making a donation to prevent psychological distress among adolescents is to contribute directly to the future of our society. 66 Causes Consequences Mental health Dropping out of school Abuse Bullying Poverty Violence Psychological Social Substance exclusion distress abuse Absence Suicide of protective factors Self-destructive b e h a v i o u r 77 Highlights Once again in 2019, psychological distress was a topic that received a lot of coverage in Quebec, and that’s just as well! We applaud the will of the provincial government to shed light on the issues surrounding mental health treatments and prevention, and to elevate its place within the health system generally. We specialize in prevention for young people and those around them, but we know that the only way to sustainably improve the situation is by bringing together all mental health stakeholders in order to facilitate education and access to care. This is why we are developing partnerships with organizations, other foundations and government bodies to maximize our impact on young people. In the following pages, you will find information about the resources we have implemented to move in this direction. Forum Jeunes et santé mentale On May 13, 2019, we participated in the Forum Jeunes et santé mentale organized by the Government of Quebec. This day of consultation, bringing together dozens of stakeholders from the sector, allowed us to identify the major challenges that our health system needs to overcome to better help young people. Government recommendations should be published in 2020 or 2021. Danielle McCann and Lionel Carmant durring the Forum 8 National Suicide Prevention Strategy: Highlights Victory! For 40 years, the suicide rate in Quebec has been 3 people per day. And yet, no strategy exists to bring this number down, despite the recommendation of the World Health Organization. So in 2019, the Foundation joined a coalition of 35 stakeholders, led by the Association québécoise de prévention du suicide (AQPS), calling for the establishment of a National Suicide Prevention Strategy in 2019. We have been delighted by the speedy response of the provincial government, which has announced its intention to develop such a strategy. AQPS Méritas Award for Organization of the Year The Foundation is honoured to have been recognized by the Association québécoise de prévention du suicide (AQPS) for our key role in this area. With our Together for Mental Health workshop, which demystifies depression in young people in schools and directs them toward appropriate resources, the Foundation actively contributes to the prevention of suicide in teenagers. Sommet LA TÊTE HAUTE On Wednesday, February 27, in collaboration with the AQRP (Association québécoise pour la réadaptation psychosociale), we launched the HEADSTRONG Summit! This unique initiative created by the Mental Health Commission of Canada aims to fight the stigma of mental health by bringing together young people from various high schools. Over 60 young people and staff members from 9 different schools came to the event to hear the stories of hope and recovery from people who have lived with mental illness*, participating in activities to break down stigmas and to develop action plans to be used in schools. Thank you to the four speakers who were with us for this event: Carolane Stratis, Kharoll-ann Souffrant, Janie Dolan Cake and Victor Payette. 9 An Enlightening Study, Unprecedented in Quebec In collaboration with the Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS) and the Observatoire Jeunes et Société, Fondation Jeunes en Tête was pleased to present in 2019 our Portrait of Youth Well-Being, a project guided by our desire to understand the true situation of teenagers in Quebec. We are extremely proud of this portrait, the result of several years of rigorous hard work. Reducing the Number of Youths in Distress By joining forces and combining our prevention, awareness and access-to-care activities, we will be able to significantly reduce the number of young people affected by psychological dis-tress, a factor central to most issues faced by teenagers and one that has a big impact on their well-being. For the first time, the 11–17 age group in every region of Quebec was studied with respect to six dimensions to paint a realistic and complete picture of their well-being. Living environment Financial situation Education Mental health Subjective well-being Physical health To read the province-wide version/the version for a particular region, visit our website: https://fondationjeunesentete.org/en/our-cause/portrait-of-youth-well-being/ 10 Did you know? + du tiers 6/10 des adolescents disent être à un niveau se disent très satisfaits élevé de détresse psychologique à l’égard de la vie en général 6/10 ont des nuits de sommeil respectant la durée recommandée pendant la semaine d’école United for youths mental health 11 Awareness Workshops in Schools A New Initiative to Extend Our Reach Motivated by the desire to prevent psychological distress in teens at an ever-younger age, this year, the Foundation has expanded its services with La base pour la santé mentale pilot workshop (FR only), aimed at 12- and 13-year-olds (Grades 7 and 8). Approximately: regions 2 700 of Québec young people have visited been able to take 9 advantage of our keys 109 workshops in to good mental health 26 schools The teenagers will therefore be able to: Understand mental health and how their brains work Gain proficiency in a basic mindfulness meditation technique Practise introspection to better understand themselves and communicate with others. The trial has now concluded, and the new workshop will be gradually deployed across Quebec when we start visiting schools again. 12 Partners for Life: Always a Success! Once again this year, our Partners for Life workshop, appreciated by secondary schools for more than 20 years, allowed us to raise awareness among many young people aged 14 to 18 (Grades 9 through 11), as well as their parents and teachers, about teen depression. 2018-2019 in key numbers: People informed: 43 834 Parents School 280 personnel 1 638 Teenagers 41 916 Each year, we invite schools to complete a questionnaire to assess our presentations and their impact.