Youth Mental Health
Young life is harder than ever – help us support youth now, before they fall through the cracks.
Today’s youth are having to navigate the anxiety, uncertainty and fear of adolescence against an additional backdrop of ever-growing challenges: the ongoing affordability crisis, the lingering impacts of the pandemic, mounting global economic, political and environmental pressures.
Many families are being pushed to the brink by job losses, food insecurity, and rising living costs. Additionally, an education system designed for the majority often overlooks those with the greatest need. These factors create a storm of instability for youth, instability that is felt more intensely by vulnerable youth, who struggle to unlock their potential and develop healthy relationships without a stable, supportive environment.
Without timely intervention, youth facing anxiety, depression, trauma, or suicidal thoughts may turn to isolation, substance use, or self-harm. This is where Take a Hike steps in.
Economic recession may have a severe and long-term impact on mental health in children and young people, especially if they face stress within the family as a result of economic hardship or parental unemployment.
Multiple studies found that there was a significant increase in suicide rates at the onset of the recession. In Canada, there was a 4.5% rise.
Many of the youth we serve:
- Have experienced multiple Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs – stressful experiences that occur before age 18, such as: abuse [physical, emotional, sexual], neglect [physical, emotional], and household dysfunction [mental illness, household violence, divorce, incarcerated relative, substance abuse])
- Must navigate diagnosed mental health conditions
- Are supported by the Ministry of Children and Family Development
These youth are often underserved—but they are capable, resilient, and full of potential. With the right support today, they can thrive and actively build their futures.
Take a Hike can bridge the gap.
We walk alongside youth during one of the most critical periods of their development. Our full-time program combines continuous clinical counselling with land-based learning, delivered in a safe, trauma-informed alternate education environment.
We meet vulnerable youth where they are – we create the supportive, predictable space they need to explore, question, make mistakes and learn, a space they desperately need if they are to thrive in the current climate.
Take a Hike youth reported:
84%
improved their grades
90%
were employed
85%
improved mental health and well-being
The counselling our mental health clinicians offer is integrated into the learning environment so that there is a consistent, daily focus on mental health and well-being, supported by weekly opportunities to learn on and from the land. Ultimately, youth build trust in themselves and gain the skills and confidence to choose their own way forward.