The Community Helpers Program aims to promote mental well-being and raise awareness about the issue of suicide among youth and young adults, ages 12 to 30.
By equipping the natural helpers in our community with helping skills, we can catch concerns before they become serious, promote professional supports when needed and boost our ability and willingness to look out for each other, creating a mentally supportive community in a cost-effective way.
Helpers include any supportive person that youth and young adults are likely to turn to when they’re struggling, such as their peers, parents, teachers, coaches and other youth allies. Young people are more likely to come to these informal supports for help than professional.
Helpers don’t replace trained mental health professionals. In fact, a great deal of the training focuses on when and how to help people access professional supports.
The Community Helpers Program teaches:
- how to help a youth or young adult who may be struggling
- how to take care of your own well-being when you are a helper to someone else
- mental health and suicide awareness
- other issues youth and young adults may be facing
- professional resources in the community and when and how to access them
The Community Helpers Program also occasionally offers additional related training to boost helpers’ skills and well-being. The program is offered in community organizations, workplaces and schools and to members of the general public who support youth and young adults.
For current program offerings, please visit the Program & Activity Guide.
If you’re interested in having the Community Helpers Program come to your community organization, workplace or school, you can make a request by contacting Cochrane Family and Community Support Services (see contact information below).
If you’re a parent who wants to see this program in your school, please contact your child’s teacher. They can request to have the Community Helpers Program in your child’s class or school.
Check out the YouTube video on the Cochrane Community Helpers Program.