BC’s Ministry of Health has announced one of five new youth mental wellness centres across the province will open in Prince George.
.@shirleybond/@MikeMorrisforBC announce opening of new youth mental wellness centre #Foundry, 1 of 5 locations in #BC @mypgnow pic.twitter.com/w1VHR1eMDW
— Kyle Balzer (@KyleBalzer) January 13, 2017
Hosted and partially funded by the YMCA of Northern BC, Foundry will be made available for youth ages 12 to 24.
MLA for Prince George-Valemount Shirley Bond says this will create an integrated and more personal approach to fighting the stigma.
“It’s about connection, it’s about being found. So it’s a chance for us to reach out to these young people and closing that gap when they age out of the current system, they now have a space and a place to go.”
The government announced in March 2015 they will be providing $3 million towards the construction and support of all five facilities; the other four locations are in Abbotsford, Campbell River, Kelowna, and the North Shore.
Launching this new centre will also catering to families who collectively struggle with mental illness amongst themselves.
23-year-old Jared French plans to become a volunteer with Foundry; he shares his struggle with the stigma.
“When I had tried to find the services I needed, it was difficult. I had to go to this place, I had to go to that place, I had to go everywhere, and I had to do it within a certain period of time. Whereas now, within the Foundry program, it’s all going to be in one place; it’s easy, it’s accessible, it’s wonderful.”
French believes there’s nothing more important to mental health than having the support of family and peers and says the facility will open doors and minds to everyday people.
“It makes them think because a lot of people out there don’t really think about mental illness, they don’t think about mental health, it’s just an afterthought. It will bring it into the light more and make people feel more comfortable with it and maybe say ‘Maybe I do need help, maybe I do need to go access some of these services.”
Foundry is scheduled to be fully operational by this spring.
PHOTOS: Plans for new #Foundry clinic in #CityOfPG; #bcpoli funding $3M; @NBCY fundraising $250k for capital/innovation needs @mypgnow pic.twitter.com/rDz6hcSxlU
— Kyle Balzer (@KyleBalzer) January 13, 2017