Free telephone counseling is now available to youth 24/7 in Dari, Pashto, Russian and Ukrainian.
TORONTO, June 20, 2022 /CNW/ – Every young person deserves the opportunity to be heard and express their feelings in a safe space. But for newcomers Canadaunique challenges, such as language barriers, can make it difficult to access mental health supports.
As about half of the new arrivals fleeing conflict in Afghanistan Y Ukraine are young, Kids Help Phone identified an urgent need to provide a safe space to talk about their experiences. Kids Help Phone expanded to provide a professional telephone counseling service, through an interpreter, in Dari, Pashto, Russian and Ukrainian – the first mental health organization to do so in Canada.
The national youth mental health charity has fast-tracked the launch of these four languages as part of an immediate response to the crisis to support young people affected by conflict in Afghanistan Y Ukraine. This language expansion is made possible by funding from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), which has generously funded Newcomer Initiatives with the introduction of Arabic and Mandarin phone counseling on Kids Help Phone since 2019 and has expanded the funding to scale to 100 languages. by 2025.
Kids Help Phone supports young people in all provinces and territories in Canada. As the only national mental health service available 24/7 in French and English for young people in Canada, the organization knows firsthand that for many young people, seeking mental health support is not always easy. . There can be stigma for seeking support, and many young people, including newcomers, may not have the language to understand or describe how they are feeling. By launching language counseling services for newly arrived Afghans and Ukrainians, Kids Help Phone hopes to better serve these brave young people fleeing conflict.
“The lives of so many young people have been turned upside down by having to leave, or even flee, their countries. It is heartbreaking to think about what these young people are going through and how insecure they can feel. We believe in a future where every young person in Canada can access the support they need, in the way they need it most,” said katherine hay, President and CEO of Kids Help Phone. “To make electronic mental health support more accessible through language for any young person across Canada it is an important step in ensuring equitable access for those who may be most vulnerable. We appreciate IRCC’s support and vision to enable the expansion of Kids Help Phone’s language offerings to meet a critical need today, with an eye to further expansion of more languages in the coming months.”
“Canada has a proud tradition of welcoming and supporting the world’s most vulnerable. To adapt to life in Canada, we must ensure that new arrivals have access to resources to deal with past trauma and rebuild their lives. Creating this accessible and culturally sensitive safe space is especially important when it comes to vulnerable youth, and this funding will ensure that those fleeing conflict, including Afghans and Ukrainians, have the support they need to reach their full potential while in conflict. Canada.” The Honorable Sean Fraser, Minister for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship
Providing language advice in new languages allows Kids Help Phone to respond to the needs of refugees coming to Canada in higher numbers. Kids Help Phone stands in solidarity with the millions of people in Canada who have risen to the cause, and is working with settlement service provider organizations to spread the word about our language expansion.
When a youth calls 1-800-668-6868 and press 3, they will be connected to a professional interpreter and counselor. The session will be conducted through an interpreter.
FAST FACTS
- Self-identified newcomer youth had 2,500 interactions with Kids Help Phone in the last six months.
- 76% said they shared something with a KHP counselor that they had never shared before.
- 81% felt less upset after their interaction with KHP
- 86% got the support they were looking for from KHP
- To access services in Dari, Pashto, Ukrainian and/or Russian, newly arrived youth can call 1-800-668-6868 and press 3 to connect with a counselor and interpreter.
- These four languages are in addition to the services provided in Arabic and Mandarin that launched in 2021.
ABOUT THE CHILDREN’S HELPLINE
Kids Help Phone is the only 24/7 electronic mental health service offering free and confidential support in English and French to young people. As the nation’s virtual care experts, we provide millions of young people with a safe and trusted space to talk on the phone or through text or self-directed support at any time of crisis or need. Through our digital transformation, we envision a future where everyone in Canada can get the support they need, when they need it most, however they need it. Kids Help Phone gratefully relies on the generosity of donors, volunteers, interested partners, corporate partners, and governments to drive and fund our programs. Learn more at KidsHelpPhone.ca or follow us:
Twitter:@KidsHelpPhone
Facebook:@KidsHelpPhone
Instagram:@KidsHelpPhone
SOURCE Helpline for children
For More Information: For more information or to schedule an interview, contact: Lindsey Coulter, Kids Help Phone, 647-390-4841, [email protected]
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