In partnership with Central Alberta Co-op, the Mental Health Foundation has provided funding to support services, develop new programs, and reach out to more individuals struggling with mental health and addictions issues.
Move Your Mood
The Move Your Mood (MYM) program is developing a studio at the new Sheldon Kennedy Centre of Excellence in Red Deer, Alberta. The studio will be accessible by all programs and professions in the centre to support treatment plans for children and youth through play, physical activity, mindfulness, and creative activities. The studio aims to improve mental health outcomes for children and youth through reducing stress and improving mood, self-esteem, and overall well-being.
Funds will support the studio purchasing various equipment and supplies related to the MYM pillars of moving the body, fueling the body, mindfulness, and expanding the mind. Students from Red Deer Polytechnic will assist in developing activities for the studio pillars and evaluate their effectiveness.
Opioid Dependency Program (ODP) Client Group Engagement and Mental Health Enhancement
The ODP clinic, in Red Deer, will implement innovative group programming for clients dealing with mental health and substance use issues. Using techniques like therapeutic photography, drumming circles, art therapy, and life skills training, these trauma-informed, creative groups will improve resilience and well-being.
Funding will support equipment, materials, travel costs, and contingency management incentives to promote engagement.
Unit 39 Sensory items and Art supplies
This funding is for sensory items and art supplies (including canvases and paints, and journals), and includes a food allowance to teach patients shopping and meal preparation skills. The goal is to enhance engagement activities to help patients develop coping strategies and mental health skills.
Intended outcomes included measuring impacts on patients through surveys and narratives. Knowledge would be shared with leaders and staff across the province.
Transform through Nature
Transform through Nature aims to support mental health recovery journeys for young Albertans, aged 13-17, with outdoor activities to boost their mental and physical health. Activities like animal therapy, water therapy, forest therapy, mindfulness, and movement are intended to decrease youths’ anxiety and depression and help them cope.
The annual program is a new initiative at the Step Up Step Down live-in mental health facility for at-risk youth.
An Influential Generation (AIG) Red Deer
The program will train interested high school students to educate younger students, in grades 5-8, about the harms of vaping through a presentation. The goal is to reduce youth vaping and prevent addiction by having the message come from peers. High school students will receive training to develop presentation skills and share facts with middle schoolers to discourage vaping and promote healthy choices. Younger students will gain knowledge to avoid nicotine addiction and tobacco harm while older youth build career skills.
Funding will support materials, supplies and snacks for the initial training.