Una Wright is the Founder and Executive Director of YouthSpeak Charity, a Canadian organization built on the power of lived experience and youth engagement. Since launching the program in 2003, Wright has dedicated her career to hiring, training, and empowering young people who have faced mental health-related challenges to share their stories in schools and community settings. Through a for-youth-by-youth model, YouthSpeak has reached more than 437,000 students and caring adults across Canada with presentations that tackle issues ranging from bullying and inclusivity to substance use and media literacy.
Describe your charity/non-profit/volunteer work in a few sentences.
YouthSpeak Charity is an organization that hires and trains youth who have lived experience with mental health-related challenges to share their personal stories to young people within schools and youth-serving organizations. These Youth Facilitators develop and deliver presentations for grades 2-12, and for caring adults on topics such as mental health, bullying, racism, homophobia, inclusivity, gender equity, substance use and online issues.
Through our for-youth-by-youth model that is uniquely designed for thought-provoking engagement and proven impact, we have a proud 21+-year history with an extensive reach of over 437,000 youth and caring adults. YouthSpeak has been built on resilience, perseverance and a belief that when young people heal, we heal communities.
What problem does it aim to solve?
We are addressing the youth mental health crisis in Canada. Youth today face mental health challenges like never before; new stressors, including equity-related issues, along with general concerns about their futures, are seriously impacting their overall mental health and well-being. This impact is showing up at home, in classrooms, online and in our communities for youth at younger ages. In our current world, feelings of loneliness and disconnection are prevalent, so they turn to online engagement to create a sense of belonging. As they are trying to navigate their digital world, many are experiencing phone addiction, and their mental health is impacted by their exposure to certain social media influencers they follow. It can be a source of stress, as well the development of beliefs and behaviours based on what they are exposed to online. The issue is that they haven’t yet developed critical thinking skills to discern what they are exposed to or the voice to ask for help.
When did you start/join it?
I am the Founder of YouthSpeak, which was started in November 2003. My son Gavin was one of our first youth speakers before his untimely death on his 19th birthday when he was in a weather-related car accident.
What made you want to get involved?
YouthSpeak was inspired by lived experience within my own family. We have experienced many challenges related to mental health with our four kids during their teen years, including the loss of two children. Throughout these experiences, I needed to pour my energy and focus into something positive. Giving a purpose to life challenges not only help others, it is also a very self-healing process. Since then, I have made it my personal mission to provide this same experience for youth who have faced challenges so they can pay it forward and make a meaningful difference in the world.
What was the situation like when you started?
When I started this organization in 2003, there were very few resources available to support youth if they were struggling with their mental health. A young person had to be in crisis before getting help, and there certainly were no conversations in schools about mental health or coping tools. As well, there were very limited partnerships with youth-serving organizations to help with programming. When my eldest son was in grade 8, and he was dealing with mental health-related challenges, he was unfortunately using unhealthy coping tools and making poor decisions. He definitely wasn’t listening to us or willing to make use of any resources we did find for him. I remember thinking he needs to hear from someone he will relate to, someone who will make a positive impact, because he would actually listen to their story with a more open mind. At that time, there wasn’t anything available, and that planted the seed for YouthSpeak.
How has it changed since?
Because youth today are overstimulated due to their online use, resulting in shorter attention spans, they need to connect in ways that are very engaging. Personal stories are timeless because our brains are programmed for stories, but they are also relatable and meet people where they are at; especially for youth will never lose their impact! However, some of the other learning components we include in our presentations need to be elevated by creating more interaction that is designed specifically for the various ages of development, since younger youth need support.
We are the only one of its kind in Canada that is doing youth engagement and lived experience as comprehensively as we are through four pillars:
– Employment opportunity for youth – self-esteem and skill-building work in a supportive, flexible, equitable and trauma-informed team environment.
– Youth engagement knowledge experts – long history of mastering our craft for quality youth engagement and lived experience best practices. Today, that belief carries us into more schools, more youth groups, and more hearts than ever before.
– Extensive training – each facilitator completes 200 hours of training that includes Improv skills, public speaking, media literacy, as well as one-on-one coaching and wellness supports.
– Breadth of programs and services – comprehensive list of mental health-related offerings for a wide range of age groups and sectors.
What more needs to be done?
We believe hope starts with a single story. Hope is what we offer and what we see reflected back in every youth we meet, and hope is what reminds young people they’re not alone. Our team has adapted the focus in our messaging to give a strong message of hope, and to help them better self-reflect on their mental health and creating a sense of belonging and community.
Creating connection and community is crucial in today’s world. These youth are our future, and we are responsible for ensuring they are given the tools and resources to not only cope with challenges but to navigate their way as our future leaders with resilience, integrity, and hope.
How can our readers help?
We believe that connection shouldn’t pause when the world feels heavy, and the whole community needs to be part of the conversation. To continue creating safe spaces for youth and support our future generations, we welcome help through the various partnership opportunities:
– Corporate sponsorship
– Grants and donations
– Collaborations
– Pro bono services
Where can we follow you?
Website | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok | YouTube
PAY IT FORWARD: What is an awesome local charity that you love?
Signing Out is an awesome grassroots organization that engages people in the LGBTQ+ community in a choir, and they have made quite a name for themselves!!
