Empowering YOU

Empowering YOU is a 10-week program that provides mental health education to help young adults develop skills that enable them to cope with challenges in life. The ultimate aim of Empowering YOU is to help youth aged 14 to 17 to manage stress, moments of anxiety, mood challenges, and relationship difficulties through self-awareness, coping strategies (e.g., mindfulness), connecting with nature and physical activity.

ABOUT THE PROGRAM

The goal of this program is to develop a sense of connection and belonging among participants in the 10-week program while learning about tools and techniques to manage their mental health. The program will run once a week for two hours. The first hour is dedicated to learning and information. During the second hour, youth engage in physical activity which gives them an opportunity to experience and practice the information and learning. The program builds largely on the work ofJill Rathus and Alec Miller (2015) and dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT) and more specifically their DBT Skills Manual for Adolescents.

GUIDING PRINCIPLES

• The overarching guiding principle for Empowering You is to create a safe space by:
• Creating and supporting positive experiences and peer relationships.
• Ensuring programming is standardized, age appropriate and builds on best practice.
• Incorporating and practicing emotional, physical and mental risk management.
• Practicing strength based and trauma informed approaches to facilitation.

PARTICIPANTS

Empowering YOU is a program for youth, aged 14 to 17,  including youth in care or aging out of care, to assist with managing stress, moments of anxiety, mood challenges and relationship difficulties.

WHERE AND WHEN

Mount Elizabeth Middle Secondary, Kitimat

Mondays 3:30-5:30 pm  January 17 to March 16, 2022

(Wednesdays 3:30-5:30 pm on March 9th and 16th)

Email for more information or to register: empoweryou@bcrpa.bc.ca