Community Capacity Building and Mobilization in Youth Mental Health Promotion: the Story of West Carleton – how the Community Helper Program Evolved…

This report explores key concepts in youth mental health promotion, demonstrating how these concepts can & have been operationalized & implemented at the community level. Key concepts are first defined. The experience of youth suicide in a rural community is then used to illustrate, in practical terms, how these concepts have real-life application. In the context of a community’s response to a tragic event, the importance of developing a shared vision & creating a common community language around youth mental health is emphasized. (19 refs)