About Jack.org
Jack.org is a charity that trains and empowers young leaders who are revolutionizing mental health across the country. Over eight years, through a process of listening and re-listening to, and learning and re-learning from youth, we’ve designed, implemented, and evaluated our three programs with a singular mission: to support youth in breaking down barriers to positive mental health in their communities across Canada.
Through Jack Talks, Jack Chapters, and Jack Summits, young leaders identify and dismantle barriers to positive mental health in their communities. Jack.org is working towards a Canada where all young people understand how to take care of their own mental health and look out for each other. A Canada without shame, where all those who need support get the help they deserve. With thousands of young leaders across every province and territory in Canada, we’re only just getting started.
For more information, please visit Jack.org.
Through Jack Talks, Jack Chapters, and Jack Summits, young leaders identify and dismantle barriers to positive mental health in their communities. Jack.org is working towards a Canada where all young people understand how to take care of their own mental health and look out for each other. A Canada without shame, where all those who need support get the help they deserve. With thousands of young leaders across every province and territory in Canada, we’re only just getting started.
For more information, please visit Jack.org.
About The Algoma University Chapter
The Algoma University Jack.org Chapter is a group of Algoma University students working towards breaking the stigma surrounding mental health. Through several initiatives, campaigns, and more, this group advocates for mental health services both across campus and city wide!
Our Purpose
The purpose of Jack.org Algoma U is to work towards a community in which students are aware of their mental health and wellness and have the ability to access the appropriate resources. Further, our purpose is to provide students with the necessary tools to reach out and access the help that they need without stigma.
Our Values
Youth First - No one is better equipped to advocate for youth mental health than youth themselves. They have the insight, energy, and creativity to mobilize change. We are committed to ongoing knowledge transfer from youth to adults and adults to youth. We will value the insights of youth and give them the stage as they mobilize millions.
Inclusive - As a national network, we strive to be representative of Canada’s youth population from coast to coast to coast. To do so, we will always be a warm, welcoming, and safe community for anyone to be a part of. This means evolving, making change when necessary, and intentionally bringing in the voices of those often silenced or marginalized.
Impatient for Change - Suicide is the #1 health-related cause of death for young people in Canada. Things need to change and we'll lead it. Youth mental health is the health issue of this generation and needs to be a national priority. We’ll always do our part and use our voice to ensure others do theirs too.
Impact Focused - Our approach is built on solid evidence. That’s why we’re confident that as long as we follow the plan, evaluate every step of the way, and continually improve our processes, we will make significant and sustainable change to improve youth mental health and well-being.
Inclusive - As a national network, we strive to be representative of Canada’s youth population from coast to coast to coast. To do so, we will always be a warm, welcoming, and safe community for anyone to be a part of. This means evolving, making change when necessary, and intentionally bringing in the voices of those often silenced or marginalized.
Impatient for Change - Suicide is the #1 health-related cause of death for young people in Canada. Things need to change and we'll lead it. Youth mental health is the health issue of this generation and needs to be a national priority. We’ll always do our part and use our voice to ensure others do theirs too.
Impact Focused - Our approach is built on solid evidence. That’s why we’re confident that as long as we follow the plan, evaluate every step of the way, and continually improve our processes, we will make significant and sustainable change to improve youth mental health and well-being.
Mental Health 101
The State of Youth Mental Health In Canada
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Young people across Canada are dying by suicide at an alarming rate. As per the 2009 Canadian Census, 202 youth aged 15 to 19 died by suicide across the country, accounting for a quarter of all deaths and acting as the second leading cause of death in this age group. A 2015 update, found that 518 youth aged 15 to 24 years old died by suicide, again accounting for a quarter of all deaths in this age group.
Yet these statistics serve as a poor proxy for the true burden of youth mental health struggles across the country. They represent only the tip of the iceberg. 
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For the 518 youth aged 15 to 24 years old who died by suicide, a further 150,000 attempted suicide, and as many as one in seven reported having suicidal thoughts. Further, mental health struggles don’t always manifest in thoughts of suicide. Many young people report struggling with their mental health in other ways - with negative thoughts, feelings, and/or emotions that are intense, long lasting, and have a big impact on one’s life and daily function.
In a recent representative survey of Canadians, a worrying 63% of youth aged 20 to 34 years old reported suffering from mental health struggles, primarily anxiety and depression, and one in ten youth (aged 15 to 24 years old) have experienced symptoms of depression in their lifetime. In facing their struggles, young people (millennials aged 20 to 34) were also less likely to seek help than their parents or grandparents. This illustrates why we can't sit still, why we all need to be part of the solution, why we all need to take the lead and #DoSomething. |
The Youth Perspective
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Youth voices in our network have added to this picture, with over two-thirds (69%) believing that peers in their community were struggling in silence and not seeking help. They’ve identified three primary barriers to help seeking for mental health.
1) Lack of Knowledge and Misinformation: More than half (54%) of youth believe that peers in their communities don’t seek help for fear of making their mental health worse, or because they don’t know when or why to get help (84%), or because they don’t know what types of mental health services are available (83%). 2) Stigma and Shame: Overwhelmingly, most (87%) youth believe that peers don’t seek help for shame of their own mental health struggle. 3) Poor Availability of and/or Access to Mental Health Services: Half (50%) of youth believe that few mental health resources are available close to where they live, while the overwhelming majority (90%) believe that these services aren’t accessible to them due to long wait times or financial barriers (51%). |
a lack of information on resources and poor accessibility ... many students dont know where to access support, and those who do are often faced with long wait times. - Jack Chapter, University of Toronto St. George
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Mental Health 101
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Mental Health Spectrum
Many people tend to perceive our mental health as something that is black or white; as though we’re either totally healthy or completely unwell at all times. This is not the case! Our mental health lies on a spectrum and how we’re feeling can fluctuate up and down as we live our lives. Both our physical and mental health vary along a spectrum. We’re just more used to talking about our physical health this way. For example, with our physical health there are times when issues may be less critical and you would treat any ailments yourself (e.g. if you had a headache). But there are also more dire times when you need to seek help (e.g. if you had a severe migraine for days on end). |
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Mental Illness Spectrum
As discussed previously, mental illness is not synonymous with mental health and is a separate part of this discussion. Mental illnesses are also not a black and white conversation and can be experienced in varying levels of severity or not at all. This is demonstrated by the spectrum below. A person with a more severe mental illness may experience significantly more disruptive symptoms than another person who may experience minimal symptoms. |
Mental Health Spectrum
When we bring these two spectrums together - to create a “dual spectrum” - we get a full representation of how we can understand fluctuations in someone’s mental state. Regardless of having a mental illness, anyone can experience struggle and anyone can experience optimal health.
Identifying A Struggle
With or without a mental illness, it can be quite difficult to recognize when mental distress has become too severe for us to look after on our own. Mental distress can be recognized as a “struggle” whenever we or someone we know experiences negative thoughts, feelings, and behaviours that have become intense, long-lasting, and are beginning to have a big impact on our lives. This framework is a helpful tool to use when we’re trying to assess the severity of the thoughts, feelings, and behaviours we might be experiencing:
Are they intense? These aren’t mild, everyday fluctuations. They’re stronger and more persistent thoughts, feelings, and behaviours than the usual ups and downs of life.
Are they long-lasting? They’re having a consistent or lingering presence over weeks, months, or longer. Many professionals suggest that anything that’s lasted two weeks or longer can be cause for concern.
Are they having a big impact? They’re beginning to have negative consequences in one’s life, possibly interfering with someone’s ability to function and/or meet their everyday goals.
The Golden Rules
The following golden rules are intended to provide general guidelines to keep in mind for anyone in a supportive role.
1. Say what you see. Speak to the facts and what you see without making assumptions. It’s an easy way to open up a conversation with someone before we ask if something might be going on for them. “I’ve noticed you haven’t been coming to class.” “I’ve noticed you seem sad.” “I’ve noticed you stopped going to your therapist and seem angrier lately.”
2. Show you care. This can be done through tone of voice, body language, actions, and by literally telling them we care. It can also be shown by checking in regularly and following up as needed. “I care about you and I’m worried about what I’ve seen.” “Is something going on for you? I care and I think it’s time to talk.” “I’m here for you if there’s anything I can do to help.”
3. Hear them out. Our goal is to try to understand, be as supportive as possible, and most importantly - let them speak. Open up space for them to speak. Ask questions and make sure to provide silent pauses so they can collect their thoughts and comfortably answer. Ask them how they’re feeling. Ask what they need from us right now and how to best support them. Don’t assume what they are looking for from us - let them tell us what they need. Validate their thoughts and feelings. Everyone’s experiences are valid, and they need to feel like what they are going through is reasonable (because it is). We can do this by saying things like, “This sounds really hard.” “I can see that must be frustrating.”
4. Check yourself. While we’re supporting someone, we need to remember our goal. We’re not having this conversation to judge them or to compare their experiences with our own. We’re having this conversation to see if we can help. This is the time to listen. Don’t judge them or imply that their feelings aren’t valid. We may not understand their reactions or feelings, but that’s not important right now. What matters is that we make them feel supported, not wrong. Unless it’s directly sought, we shouldn’t give advice, and we definitely should not dismiss their problems. We shouldn’t try to fix what they’re going through or imply that we think they’re overreacting. Advice can often come off as dismissive, and in this moment we’re trying to validate and support - not fix.
5. Connect them to help. This is the most important part. Counselling someone is not something we can do on our own, and it’s important to directly link people to the help they need. We can say, “It sounds like you’ve been really struggling - have you considered talking to our school counselor?” Share that there are people they can talk to who can help (school counselor, family doctor, helpline), and that they don’t have to go through this alone. If we’re comfortable doing so, we can offer to go with them to a counselor or sit with them while they call a helpline. If they refuse to get help and we’re really worried, we can also talk to someone ourselves about the situation.
When we bring these two spectrums together - to create a “dual spectrum” - we get a full representation of how we can understand fluctuations in someone’s mental state. Regardless of having a mental illness, anyone can experience struggle and anyone can experience optimal health.
Identifying A Struggle
With or without a mental illness, it can be quite difficult to recognize when mental distress has become too severe for us to look after on our own. Mental distress can be recognized as a “struggle” whenever we or someone we know experiences negative thoughts, feelings, and behaviours that have become intense, long-lasting, and are beginning to have a big impact on our lives. This framework is a helpful tool to use when we’re trying to assess the severity of the thoughts, feelings, and behaviours we might be experiencing:
Are they intense? These aren’t mild, everyday fluctuations. They’re stronger and more persistent thoughts, feelings, and behaviours than the usual ups and downs of life.
Are they long-lasting? They’re having a consistent or lingering presence over weeks, months, or longer. Many professionals suggest that anything that’s lasted two weeks or longer can be cause for concern.
Are they having a big impact? They’re beginning to have negative consequences in one’s life, possibly interfering with someone’s ability to function and/or meet their everyday goals.
The Golden Rules
The following golden rules are intended to provide general guidelines to keep in mind for anyone in a supportive role.
1. Say what you see. Speak to the facts and what you see without making assumptions. It’s an easy way to open up a conversation with someone before we ask if something might be going on for them. “I’ve noticed you haven’t been coming to class.” “I’ve noticed you seem sad.” “I’ve noticed you stopped going to your therapist and seem angrier lately.”
2. Show you care. This can be done through tone of voice, body language, actions, and by literally telling them we care. It can also be shown by checking in regularly and following up as needed. “I care about you and I’m worried about what I’ve seen.” “Is something going on for you? I care and I think it’s time to talk.” “I’m here for you if there’s anything I can do to help.”
3. Hear them out. Our goal is to try to understand, be as supportive as possible, and most importantly - let them speak. Open up space for them to speak. Ask questions and make sure to provide silent pauses so they can collect their thoughts and comfortably answer. Ask them how they’re feeling. Ask what they need from us right now and how to best support them. Don’t assume what they are looking for from us - let them tell us what they need. Validate their thoughts and feelings. Everyone’s experiences are valid, and they need to feel like what they are going through is reasonable (because it is). We can do this by saying things like, “This sounds really hard.” “I can see that must be frustrating.”
4. Check yourself. While we’re supporting someone, we need to remember our goal. We’re not having this conversation to judge them or to compare their experiences with our own. We’re having this conversation to see if we can help. This is the time to listen. Don’t judge them or imply that their feelings aren’t valid. We may not understand their reactions or feelings, but that’s not important right now. What matters is that we make them feel supported, not wrong. Unless it’s directly sought, we shouldn’t give advice, and we definitely should not dismiss their problems. We shouldn’t try to fix what they’re going through or imply that we think they’re overreacting. Advice can often come off as dismissive, and in this moment we’re trying to validate and support - not fix.
5. Connect them to help. This is the most important part. Counselling someone is not something we can do on our own, and it’s important to directly link people to the help they need. We can say, “It sounds like you’ve been really struggling - have you considered talking to our school counselor?” Share that there are people they can talk to who can help (school counselor, family doctor, helpline), and that they don’t have to go through this alone. If we’re comfortable doing so, we can offer to go with them to a counselor or sit with them while they call a helpline. If they refuse to get help and we’re really worried, we can also talk to someone ourselves about the situation.
Events Calendar
Constitution & Minutes
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Become A Member of Jack Algoma U!
Join us to become a part of a national network of mental health advocates!
Connect With Us!
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We understand that outreach is important, and we want to be visible, available, and accessible to both the Algoma University and Sault Ste. Marie community members. Check out our links below to find out more, and to stay connected with our events here on campus and within the community! For any further inquiries, please contact jackdotorg@algomau.ca!
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Resources
If you are in crisis, please call 911.
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On-Campus Resources
Student Success Central Health Services Team healthservices@algomau.ca On-Campus Doctor doctor@algomau.ca |
Off-Campus Resources
Download the I.M. Well App Good 2 Talk Confidential Post-Secondary Student Helpline 24/7 1.866.925.5454 good2talk.ca Sault Area Hospital Crisis Services 24/7 705.759.3398 1.800.721.0077 Canadian Mental Health Association Walk-In Counselling Service Tuesdays, 11:30am-7:00pm 705.759.5989 Warmline 6:00pm-12:00am 1.866.856.9276 |