Davenport Perth Neighbourhood and Community Health Centre has launched a project, HERE4YOUth funded by the Ontario Trillium Foundation, that aims to engage youth in central west Toronto, in a participatory action research process to identify needs, gaps and barriers in accessing sexual and mental health services. Pictured here are team members Swelen Andari, Cayla Clarkson, Monica Samuel, Shayna Sayers, Zacharie Collins, Travis Peck and Maria Ischel Flores - Courtesy photo
Trillium grant supports sexual and mental health services for youth in Davenport-Perth area
Thanks to an Ontario Trillium Foundation grant, the Davenport Perth Neighbourhood and Community Health Centre is in the midst of a project that could change the way it delivers sexual and mental health services to youth.
Davenport Perth Neighbourhood and Community Health Centre has launched a project, HERE4YOUth funded by the Ontario Trillium Foundation, that aims to engage youth in central west Toronto, in a participatory action research process to identify needs, gaps and barriers in accessing sexual and mental health services. Pictured here are team members Swelen Andari, Cayla Clarkson, Monica Samuel, Shayna Sayers, Zacharie Collins, Travis Peck and Maria Ischel Flores - Courtesy photo
Thanks to an Ontario Trillium Foundation grant, the Davenport Perth Neighbourhood and Community Health Centre is in the midst of a project that could change the way it delivers sexual and mental health services to youth.
Christened ‘HERE4YOUth,’ the project’s mission is to engage young people ages 13 to 24 who live in central west Toronto in a participatory action research process to identify the needs, gaps, and barriers they might be experiencing in accessing sexual and mental health services.
Seven young people, who live in the Davenport-Perth Neighbourhood and Community Health Centre’s catchment area and come from very diverse backgrounds – culturally, socially and economically as well as sexual orientations, have been hired as youth peer researchers, said Swelen Andari, youth program worker, children and youth services, at Davenport Perth.
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"They’re the ones who created the HERE4YOUth title," she told The Villager.
The youth-led initiative, which stands for (Health Empowerment Research and Education, is seeking input from as many as 70 young people to share their stories and input about what they’d like to see in the health system, Andari said.
"The goal is to find ways to incorporate their voices on how we provide our services, in an effort to better serve their needs," she said. "It’s about what they would like to see rather than having to conform to what already exists."
HERE4YOUth is currently working on connecting with young people through the school system and places where youth congregate, such as sports tournaments and community centres, to entice people to get involved.
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The two-year project, funded by the $140,100 grant, finishes in April 2016. The research will be viewed by an advisory committee comprised of community members and service providers who work in areas that impact youth health,
"The committee will come up with recommendations on how to adapt our programs and services," Andari said.
Davenport Perth "is incredibly grateful for this opportunity from the Ontario Trillium Foundation," the organization said in a statement. The project "will provide new avenues for community youth to work with their peers and community partners to collectively address issues they face."
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