Find Out More: Our Programs

Recently, Chantelle had the opportunity to sit down for a chat with Karen Mason of Third Space Charity.  As part of their Mental Health Matters Series, we discuss the programs and work Courage For Youth does in the community.

We cover lots of ground, including some common questions people have such as:

  • What our programs are about?
  • Who do we work with?
  • How to bring us to a school?
  • What current challenges do we see parents & youth facing?
  • What are our biggest tips for parents?
  • What gets us really excited?

Enjoy, and let us know if you have more questions!

*Video set to start at interview beginning

Equip yourself and your youth to navigate the online world

It can be tough to keep up with everything available online, and to ensure the safety of your family.  Thankfully, there are many high quality resources available to better prepare you.  Here are a couple of free trainings we think do a fantastic job of equipping you and your child for topics such as social media, cyberbullying, and creating a digital footprint.  Check them out and let us know what you think!

  1.   Social Media Test Drive (For Youth)

Developed by Cornell University & Common Sense Education, the Social Media Test Drive offers social media training and the opportunity to try out your skills in a safe environment:

“Like a driving simulator for young people learning to drive a car for the first time, Social Media TestDrive provides a simulated experience of realistic digital dilemmas and scenarios, along with key concepts and strategies for navigating them.”  – social media test drive website

The site is geared towards middle schoolers and/or youth that are newly entering the social media world.  Take a look at the modules they offer!

https://socialmediatestdrive.org/modules.html

     2.   Buckling the Social Media Seatbelt Supercourse (For Parents)

    Created by the Organization for Social Media Safety, this course gives overviews of conversations to have about challenging topics such as misinformation, sexting and mental health.  They provide a framework of suggested rules, as well as a guide to the privacy settings on various social platforms and devices:

    “Parents can learn — for the first time in one place — a comprehensive system to keep their child safe on social media.  During the course you will learn from the experts in social media safety — what social media safety conversations to have with your child, what safety rules to set, and how to calibrate the settings for your devices and social media apps.” – organization for social media safety website

    We ran through the course ourselves and found it to be a great source of information!
    https://courses.ofsms.org/courses/the-buckling-the-social-media-seatbelt-supercourse

    Photo by Karsten Winegeart on Unsplash

    Acts of Kindness – Resources for the Classroom, Home and Workplace

    We love finding resources and practical ideas that we can share with parents and educators.  Tracy recently discovered two fantastic sites providing inspiration, lesson plans and many activities to help youth give back to their community & peers.

    1.  Random Acts of Kindness

    Tracy says: “This is an awesome website for students, families and educators for all ages!  Elementary, Middle school and a new High School Curriculum. They have complete lesson plans and blogs with awesome ideas for social emotional learning in the classroom, at home and in the community!“

     https://www.randomactsofkindness.org/

         2.   Doing Good Together 

      Parenting advise, book suggestions, service projects and more, the Doing Good Togetheam  is continuously updating their site with opportunities and tools to help kids and youth grow into thoughtful, caring citizens.

      https://www.doinggoodtogether.org/ 

      Digital Wellness : Resources to Support Youth with Stress, Anxiety, and Depression

      In February 2021 over 300 families joined our online viewing party of the documentary Screenagers NEXT CHAPTER: Uncovering Skills for Stress Resilience. We then hosted a panel discussion with some AMAZING Mental Health Experts from around the Okanagan Valley.  

      Check out our recorded discussion to hear advice from representatives of CMHA, Kelowna Foundry, and the Central Okanagan School District as they respond to parent and educator questions.

      *And find a list full of their suggested resources linked below....

      Please note - while our Screenagers Documentary viewing party has finished, you can contact us here to let us know you'd like us to host another Screenagers event in the future. 

      Local Resources for Youth, Family & Educators:

      Digital Wellness Website - Central Okanagan Public Schools (SD23):

          Highlights:

      List of Youth Support Services:
      Digital Wellness Tips Downloadable:

      Thank you to our Event Panelists & Partners!

      Panel Experts:

      • Jordan Kleckner – District Principal of Learning Technology - Central Okanagan School District (jordan.kleckner@sd23.bc.ca)
      • Ramona Sousa – Teacher and School Counsellor - Central Okanagan School District (Ramona.Sousa@sd23.bc.ca)
      • Scott Stephen – Clinical Social Work/Counsellor – CMHA Kelowna & Private Practice (scott.stephen@cmha.bc.ca)
      • Anansha Gounder – Peer Support Worker – Foundry Kelowna (anansha.gounder@cmha.bc.ca)

      Panel Moderator:

      • Gary Brucker – Senior Program Director – Courage for Youth (gary@courageforyouth.com)

      Event Partners:

      Digital Wellness - Cell Phone Contract Template

      Having guidelines around devices can be a proactive step in creating healthy digital habits for your youth.  Involving your child in creating their agreement is a good way to collaborate and give them input.  It can also lead to dialogue around why device boundaries are so helpful for our mental health! We've created a customizable form including some helpful example guidelines to get the ball rolling:

      Download the Template: CFY Cell phone Contract

      Pandemic Family Resources

      Navigating Emotions & Pandemic Parenting:

      Database of At Home Activities and Resources

      The "Why" Behind our Programs...

      In this packed interview, Gary Brucker talks all about social emotional learning with Third Space Life Charity's Jody Pihl.  Gary explains what social emotional learning is, and why it's critically important for student health, happiness and success.  We discuss methods for parents and teachers to develop these skills in children including: personal responsibility, self-control, good decision making skills and strong character. Gary explains how parents and teachers can use Love and Logic Institute methodology to build long-term, respectful and healthy relationships with youth.

      This insightful interview helps explain the science behind our mentor based programs, which we facilitate with schools across BC and AB.

      Stressed about the Holidays?  We hear you!

      Heading into the 2020 Holiday Season we had the opportunity to share some tips and tools for parents about creating a special family time amidst the Covid 19 pandemic.  Check out our fun interview with the lovely Megan Woodruff at Third Space Life Charity to learn how to simplify gift giving, engage everyone in the family, manage emotions, and create new and fun experiences. We've also linked up some suggested resources and our very own checklist of creative ways to connect with your kids.

      Suggest Links: