TORONTO —Tim Hortons Foundation Camps and Jack.org, Canada’s only national charity training and empowering young leaders to revolutionize mental health, have announced a partnership to bring a focus on mental well-being.
“Mental health doesn’t take a summer break,” says Katie Wheatley, executive youth development officer at Tims Camps. “The strain caused by the pandemic is disproportionately felt by our program participants. We empower our youth participants to discover their resilience, build key life skills, and develop as leaders. With the challenges they face, we also need to empower them to understand their mental-health needs and the keys to building well-being. Jack.org has tremendous expertise in youth mental-health education.”
Leveraging its standing as the leading peer-to-peer youth mental health education and advocacy organization in Canada, Jack.org’s trained youth speakers will deliver mental-health presentations to over 5,000 Tim Hortons Foundation Camps participants.
“This partnership puts youth first and brings applicable, relatable mental-health education to camp programming, an environment where youth can be themselves, learn new things, and form supportive friendships,” says Eric Windeler, founder and executive director at Jack.org. “We have a shared vision for Canada where all young people understand how to take care of their own mental health and support one another. A Canada without shame, where all those who need mental health support get the help they deserve.”
Jack.org will also use its world-class digital resource BeThere.org to train Tim Hortons Foundation Camps staff — already skilled leaders in youth development — equipping them with mental-health literacy to safely and effectively support participants.
