Skip links

Top

Highlight Bar

CMHA Victoria Office (BC Division)

Youth

Blue Wave: For Youth

Youth mental health program

Many BC youth are struggling with mental health and substance use problems. We know the teen years are when mental health and substance use problems often show up for the first time. That’s why Blue Wave is working to provide youth with skills and support to face challenges in their lives. Blue Wave offers two main programs:

  • Living Life to the Full for Youth Our fun and interactive course has been shown to improve mood and well-being and reduce stress and anxiety. It offers tools for building problem solving skills, anger and anxiety management skills, social support, self-esteem and healthy thinking.
  • Janice Lee Blue Wave Bursary This post-secondary bursary program is open to BC youth under the age of 20 who have experienced a significant mental health or substance use problem.

Blue Wave began as a foundation run by a couple from Langley who lost their teenage daughter, Janice Lee, to suicide. Since 2013, CMHA BC has been continuing their legacy through the Blue Wave program. Learn more about Blue Wave and how you can get involved at www.bluewavebc.ca Learn more:

Janice Lee Blue Wave Bursary

JaniceLee-Bursary

Post-secondary bursary for youth

We know the teen years are when mental health and substance use problems often show up for the first time, and that this can get in the way of school and career goals. Offered as part of the Blue Wave youth mental health program, this post-secondary bursary program is open to BC youth under the age of 20 who have experienced a significant mental health or substance use problem. The vision of the Janice Lee Blue Wave bursary program is to invest in the resilience, wisdom and potential of young people, and to reduce some of the barriers during the transition from high school to higher education. Several bursaries of $700 are awarded each year. Applicants are asked to write a letter of hope and encouragement to other youth who may be struggling. You can read some of these letters below. To learn more or to apply for a bursary visit www.bluewavebc.ca To help us provide more bursaries to BC youth, please donate. Learn more:

Living Life to the Full for Youth

Living Life to the Full for Youth is a fun, interactive course that will leave youth with the inspiration and tools to get the most out of life. Offered as part of the Blue Wave youth mental health program, this course has been shown to improve mood and well-being, and reduce stress and anxiety. Living Life to the Full for Youth is an eight-week community-based course that provides simple, practical skills for coping with stress, problem solving, boosting your mood, and busting bad thoughts. Adapted from the adult course, the course is designed for youth ages 13-18. Young adult facilitators ages 20-25 deliver the course alongside experienced adult Living Life to the Full certified facilitators. Together they present a new topic at each weekly class, bringing the skills to life though booklets, worksheets, group activities and discussions. In a participant survey 100% agreed that overall the course was useful to them and would be likely to recommend the course to another young person, and 90% agreed that the course was useful in improving their self-esteem. To help us provide more Living Life to the Full for Youth courses in BC, please donate.

Learn more:

Living Life to the Full for Youth is supported by the Morris Foundation

Talk Today

Working together to help athletes thrive

Talk Today is a mental health education program designed to help athletes and their supporters learn about mental health and to help support players who may be struggling or at risk of suicide. One of the most comprehensive mental health programs for amateur sports in Canada, Talk Today is delivered across BC through partnerships with the BC Hockey League (BCHL) and the Canadian Hockey League (CHL). By building relationships between BCHL and CHL teams and local CMHA branches, we aim to help athletes connect with the mental health supports and resources they need to thrive. Talk Today consists of several components:

    • Mental Health Navigators A local CMHA liaison helps connect players to community supports and works with their local teams to promote mental health awareness in their community
    • Bounce Back for Youth This effective skills-based CMHA program is available to help players who are experiencing symptoms of mild to moderate depression or anxiety
    • Mental Health and Suicide Awareness Training for Players and Supporters CMHA offers each team Mental Health and Addictions 101 presentations and safeTALK suicide prevention training, as well as safeTALK training for general managers, coaches, referees, parents, and others who support players.
    • Talk Today Community Events Each team hosts a Talk Today event at one of their games to show their support for mental health and raise funds for CMHA mental health programs in their community

Watch for Talk Today events in your community and join the conversation on social media using #TalkToday. Learn more:

The Talk Today program was developed by CMHA Ontario and launched in 2014 as a partnership between CMHA Ontario and the Ontario Hockey League.