" When 'I' is replaced by 'We' even illness becomes wellness. "
About Us / À propos de nous
Roots: Youth Mental Health Alliance is a student run organization that aims to enhance support, knowledge and access to mental health services for youth in Montreal. As students, we believe that the best way to promote mental health and eliminate the stigma that is associated with it is through education and understanding of the issues that mental health encompasses. We see youth as the roots of the community, with the greatest ability to absorb and share knowledge about mental health and to build the foundation for a future where discussing mental health openly is the norm. Because of this, we’ve created Roots on the basis of three pillars – education, support and communication. We aim to achieve this through outreach programs that are meant to educate students both on University campuses and in Montreal.
Our outreach programs are specifically targeted towards the segment of the population with the most potential, and with the greatest ability to drive change: the youth. By educating the youth, we are able to eliminate the stigma surrounding mental health from the ground up, so that young people may help their parents and their elders to understand the true gravity of mental illness. By focusing on the youth, we are able to provide a forum to discuss topics which many youth might otherwise be afraid to bring up. We hope that our initiative will inspire youth who might be dealing with mental illness to have the confidence and the initiative to make a change as well.
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Roots : Alliance pour la santé mentale des jeunes est un organisme dirigé par des étudiants qui vise à améliorer le soutien, les connaissances, et l’accès aux services en santé mentale pour les jeunes à Montréal. En tant qu’étudiants, nous croyons que les meilleurs moyens de promouvoir la santé mentale et d’éliminer la stigmatisation associée à la maladie mentale sont l’éducation et la compréhension des enjeux que la santé mentale comporte. Nous croyons que les jeunes sont les racines de la communauté, et qu’ils ont la capacité d’absorber et de transmettre les connaissances sur la santé mentale, pour ainsi construire les fondations d’un avenir où discuter ouvertement de santé mentale sera normalisé et accepter. De ce fait, nous avons créé Roots en nous basant sur trois piliers : l’éducation, le soutien, et la communication. Nous aspirons à atteindre cet objectif grâce à des programmes de sensibilisation qui ont pour but de sensibiliser les élèves sur les campus universitaires, mais aussi partout à Montréal.
Nos programmes de sensibilisation ciblent spécifiquement la portion de la population pourvue du plus grand potentiel et des meilleures aptitudes pour amorcer un changement : les jeunes. En éduquant les jeunes, nous pensons être capables d’éliminer à la source les préjugés entourant la santé mentale, de sorte que les jeunes pourront par la suite aider leurs parents et leurs aînés à comprendre l’importance réelle de la maladie mentale. En nous concentrant sur les jeunes, nous sommes en mesure de fournir une tribune servant à discuter de certains sujets qu’autrement, beaucoup de jeunes pourraient avoir peur d’aborder. Nous espérons que notre initiative inspirera les jeunes pouvant être aux prises avec la maladie mentale à avoir la confiance et l’initiative nécessaires pour entamer un changement.
Programs
Roots is pleased to be collaborating with Vent over Tea, an anonymous active listening service, to provide drop-in active listening hours to students at McGill University. This initiative aims to help students cope with the stress of the school semester. These will be hosted at ECOLE (Educational Community Living Environment) and aim to provide a safe space and non-judgmental environment for student to relax simply 'vent' about anything that may be on their minds.
The Dialogue Project is a series of 3 workshops hosted by Roots in collaboration with high schools in Montreal. These aim to educate youth on themes related to student mental health. The main goal is to enhance the dialogue and deepen the conversation on mental health among youth to eliminate the stigma that is associated with it. Rather than trivializing mental health, the workshops aim to promote understanding and awareness of how mental health applies universally.
Our future initiative in collaboration with the Youth Outreach Project at McGill to provide youth in group homes and juvenile detention centers with mental health education sessions. These will be similar to our workshops from The Dialogue Project but catering to an audience from a slightly different demographic and will only involve one condensed workshop instead of a series of three.
" To not have your suffering recognized is the most unbearable form of violence. "
Collaborators and Sponsors
Milton-Parc Recreation Center
One of our missions is to inform youth about mental well-being and local services, and in particular, we’re trying to reach out to neighbourhoods in Montreal that are of a lower socioeconomic status. To help us reach our goal, we are proud to work with the Milton Park Recreation Association (MPRA). In particular, we value and support MPRA’s mission which is “to bridge differences and bring people closer together by offering a wide variety of affordable courses and programs which contribute to individual growth and learning, and by building partnerships with individuals and organizations in the community to help achieve these objectives.”
For more information on the Milton Park Recreation Association, please visit their website.
Sponsors
Thank you to Monster Academy, the Canadian Mental Health Organization, AMI Quebec and COCo Montreal for providing us with workshop guides and resources to help us fulfill our objectives. For more information, click the logos to visit the websites of:
" It's never overreacting to talk about about you want and need. "
Resources / Ressources
Part of Roots’ core mandate is to make mental health services more accessible to youth and increase their awareness of local programs and services. The following is a list of just a few of the many mental health resources available for youth in Montreal. Click the images for more information!
Une partie du mandat principal de Roots est de rendre les services en santé mentale plus accessibles aux jeunes, et de les sensibiliser aux programmes et services locaux existants. La liste qui suit ne représente que quelques-unes des nombreuses ressources disponibles en santé mentale pour les jeunes à Montréal. Cliquez sur les images afin d’obtenir plus d’informations !
McGill Students’ Nightline is a confidential, anonymous and non-judgmental listening service run by McGill students, providing the community with a variety of support. This includes anything from information to crisis management and referrals. They are an English service. Phone: 514 398-6246 Email: nightlineexternal@gmail.com
The Peer Programs Network (PPN) is comprised of McGill students, staff, and faculty involved in peer programs (students helping students) and fosters a supportive campus community based on engaged learning and leadership, campus-wide collaboration, and accessible resources and support. Drop-in: Brown Student Services Building 3480 McTavish St. Suite 411 Montreal, Quebec H3A 0E7
McGill Mental Health Services is staffed primarily by psychiatrists who are medical doctors with specialized training in the treatment of psychiatric disorders and in prescribing psychopharmacological medication. Drop-in: Brown Student Services Building 3600 McTavish St. Suites 4200 and 5500 Montreal, Quebec H3A 0G3 Phone: 514 398-6019 or 514 398-3601 E- mail: counselling.service@mcgill.ca or mentalhealth.stuserv@mcgill.ca
Concordia University's Counselling and Psychological Services offers ten free visits to Concordia students that can consist of triage drop-ins, personal counselling, or wellness workshops. SGW campus: Drop-in: 1550 De Maisonneuve Boul. W. #H-440 Montreal, Quebec H3G 1M8 Phone: 514 848-2424 ext. 3545 Loyola campus: Drop-in: 7141 Sherbrooke St. W. #AD-103 Montreal, Quebec H4B 1R6 Phone: 514 848-2424 ext. 3555
Concordia’s Health Services are on-campus clinics that provide clinical, mental health, and health promotion services to Concordia students. SGW campus: Drop-in: 1550 De Maisonneuve Boul. W. #GM-200 Montreal, Quebec H3G 1M8 Phone: 514 848-2424 ext. 3565 Loyola campus: Drop-in: 7141 Sherbrooke St. W. #AD-131 Montreal, Quebec H4B 1R6 Phone: 514 848-2424 ext. 3575
The Centre for Gender Advocacy is an independent, student-funded organization that serves the Concordia and Montreal communities by offering free and confidential peer support and trans health resources. Peer Support Line: 514 848-2424 ext. 7880 Email: peersupport@genderadvocacy.org Drop-in: 2110 Mackay St. Montreal, Quebec H3G 1M8 Mondays 3pm – 5pm Wednesdays 10am – 12pm Fridays 10am – 12pm
MONSTER ACADEMY is a social justice-oriented workshop series designed to provide accessible, anti-oppressive mental health skills training to youth aged 16-25. It's also intended to open a restorative dialogue around the silence and stigmatization of “being crazy” in the broader Montreal community. It is also based upon the principles of empowerment, harm reduction, respect for self/others, interdependence, mindfulness, and community serving community. Email: monsteracademymtl@gmail.com
AMI-Quebec helps families manage the effects of mental illness through support, education, guidance, and advocacy. Most programs are free! They offer programs on coping skills, counseling, education for families, support groups and hospital support (peer support in the Douglas ER). Phone: 514 486-1448 Email: info@amiquebec.org
Vent Over Tea is a Montreal-based, volunteer-run listening service aiming to provide a casual, confidential and non-judgmental outlet for members of our community. Our program is based on studies that have shown the benefits derived from expressing one's self to a compassionate listener. We do not offer counselling, psychotherapy or advice. We provide you with a listening ear and a safe space to vent.
Contact Us
Any questions or inquiries about our programs? Feel free to email us at roots.ymha@gmail.com