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[Toronto, ON] \u2014 This Children\u2019s Mental Health Week (CMHW), Children\u2019s Mental Health Ontario (CMHO) is proud to join its members in recognizing the critical role that connection plays in shaping the mental health and well-being of children and youth across Ontario.<\/p>\n
Taking place from May 4 to 10, this year\u2019s campaign for Children\u2019s Mental Health Week (CMHW) aligns with the theme for Mental Health Week, \u201cCome Together,\u201d<\/a> and calls on all of us to strengthen connection to ourselves, to one another. This year\u2019s theme also highlights the critical role community-based child and youth mental health services play as a beacon of connection for infants, children, youth and their families across Ontario.<\/p>\n Why This Matters: Connection Is a Cornerstone of Mental Health<\/strong><\/p>\n For children and youth, connection is one of the strongest predictors of well-being across the life course. Research shows that young people who feel connected to their families, schools, and communities experience better mental health outcomes and carry those benefits into adulthood. In fact, adolescents who feel connected to home or school are up to 66% less likely to engage in health-risk behaviours and experience better mental health later in life.[1]<\/a><\/p>\n Yet too many young people in Ontario are struggling to access and sustain these meaningful connections:<\/p>\n These facts are not just correlations. They point to something deeper: connection acts as a protective factor and one that can shape outcomes across a young person\u2019s life.<\/p>\n Community-Based Care Is a Foundation for Connection<\/strong><\/p>\n Connection does not happen in isolation. It is built and sustained through relationships, environments, and systems that support young people where they are.<\/p>\n Community-based child and youth mental health services play a critical role in fostering that connection. Whether through family support, peer engagement, culturally responsive care, or partnerships across schools and communities, these services create the conditions for belonging, helping young people feel seen, supported, and understood.<\/p>\n But when access to these supports is limited, connection breaks down and so does mental health.<\/p>\n \u201cConnection is one of the most powerful tools we have to support and protect children and youth mental health,\u201d said Cindy Prins, Interim CEO, CMHO. \u201cWhen young people feel connected\u2014to themselves, to others, and to their communities\u2014they are more resilient, more supported, and better able to thrive. We need to ensure every child and youth in Ontario has access to the relationships and services that make that possible.\u201d<\/p>\n A Call to Come Together<\/strong><\/p>\n Children\u2019s Mental Health Week is an opportunity to reflect on the role we all play in building connection and supporting the well-being of young people. It\u2019s also an opportunity to celebrate the role that community-based child and youth mental health services play in laying the foundation for connection to happen.<\/p>\n Whether it\u2019s reaching out, strengthening relationships, supporting local services, or advocating for a more connected and responsive mental health system, everyone has a role to play.<\/p>\n Together, we can build a future where every child and youth in Ontario feels a true sense of belonging and has access to the supports they need to thrive.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n