Tracy’s Reflection
One of the biggest lessons we’ve learned over the last three years is that lasting change happens when people come together.
Sometimes our role is to lead. Sometimes it’s to support. And sometimes it’s simply to bring the right people to the same table.
We’ve seen the impact of that approach in tables like the Region-Wide Mental Health & Addictions System Transformation Team that strengthens coordination across the healthcare system and partnerships like the Counselling Collaborative of Waterloo Region, the Family Violence Project, the Waterloo Region-wide Tutoring, PLEXUS and more.
These initiatives all share the same goal: to respond to community needs in a coordinated way, ensuring people receive the support they need.
That’s work we can’t do alone, and we’re grateful to the many partners walking alongside us.
Black and Indigenous youth continue to face barriers accessing mental health support that reflects their lived experiences, cultures, and communities.
Recognizing that those closest to the challenges are often closest to the solutions, four community-led organizations came together to explore a different approach.
Supported through Ontario Trillium Foundation funding and coordinated with backbone support from Camino, these organizations engaged community members, shared practice knowledge, and co-designed a Black & Indigenous Youth Mental Health Practice Model rooted in culture, belonging, healing, and lived experience.
The result is a community-informed framework that can help shape future approaches to supporting Black and Indigenous youth across our region.
