Tara Jeffrey
Parents, siblings and caregivers of children and youth struggling with mental illness are set to take the stage for the first Sarnia Speaks event of 2017.
“We’re going to have some amazing stories told on Jan, 19,” said Danielle Cooper, organizer of the grassroots speaker series launched last year at the Sarnia Library theatre, to provide a safe and open dialogue around mental health.
“After almost every dialogue we've done to date, I’ve received at least one or two comments about how we should include the family perspective on the panel, since mental illness affects not only the individual, but everyone around them as well.”
So she’s partnered with St. Clair Child and Youth Services to assemble a panel of family and caregivers to share their stories.
The agency also recently donated $1,000 to Sarnia Speaks, to help Cooper and her committee host more dialogues in the year ahead, along with more ‘mini-speaks’ events, which allows them to partner with various community agencies to cover a broader range of topics.
Past events have covered addiction, LQBTQ issues, and dementia.
According to Children’s Mental Health Ontario, as many as one in five children and youth will experience some form of mental health problem, but five out of six of those will not receive the treatment they need.
Emergency department visits by young people seeking mental health treatment have increased more than 50%, with a 60% increase in hospitalizations -- and Canada has the third highest youth suicide rate in the industrialized world.
The agency adds that wait lists for treatment continue to grow, with more than 6,500 children and youth waiting more than a year for treatment.
“Sarnia Speaks: Child and Youth Mental Health” will be held Jan. 19, with panelists including Kelly Greaves, the mother of a teenage son and daughter who have both struggled with mental illness in recent years.
Greaves said her main message is not to give up hope.
“No one signs up for this when they have kids -- and it’s devastating to see your child in pain,” said Greaves, noting her daughter’s eating disorder and her son’s anxiety and depression. “They’ve both hit rock bottom at the same time.”
And though it’s been challenging on her own, Greaves has been a pillar of support for her children.
“I just love my kids so much, I’ll do anything in my power to help them,” Greaves said, adding that both her children have received treatment and are doing better.
“Our children need hope; they need validation, and they need to know they’re not alone.”
IF YOU GO:
WHAT: Sarnia Speaks: Child & Youth Mental Health
WHEN: Thursday, Jan. 19, 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.
WHERE: Sarnia Library Theatre
DETAILS: Admission is free