YNRA workshops
info

CHEO’s YouthNet / RéseauAdo (YNRA) offers a range of workshops focused on building mental health literacy through peer-to-peer engagement. Our Youth Facilitators are trained to engage classrooms and groups of youth (ages 13-20) in mental health related discussion and activities and to connect at-risk youth to appropriate mental health supports.

About YNRA Workshops

YNRA’s Mental Health Literacy Workshops may be requested by any individual that works with or supports young people (ages 13-20) across Ottawa and the Eastern Ontario region.

YNRA Workshops are typically FREE for groups of up to 35 youth in classrooms (grades 7-12 or post-secondary) or youth-serving community organizations to:

  • Introduce fundamental concepts for maintaining mental health, well-being and managing stress
  • Support students through specific stressors (e.g., preparing for exam time, transitions into / out of high school, increased screen time or digital dependence)
  • Cover mandatory curriculum objectives (e.g., gr. 7-8 physical education, civics and careers, etc.,)
  • Help youth develop knowledge and skills to be effective peer supporters, know what to do and where to go when they or a friend is experiencing a mental health crisis, and develop understanding and empathy for others to prevent bullying
  • Support at-risk youth experiencing mental health concerns and/or neurodevelopmental difficulties to access appropriate resources
  • Train student / youth leadership groups to champion mental health across their schools / communities
  • Gain access to a wide range of additional youth engagement resources to increase ongoing peer-to-peer learning opportunities

Review our service offerings and follow the steps below to request a workshop for your classroom / group. You can also contact us at ynra@cheo.on.ca or (613) 697-7360 if you need help booking, do not find a time in the public calendar that fits your needs, or to discuss your group’s learning objectives.

How to Book a Workshop

Step 1

Step 2

  • Review the available timeslots in our interactive calendar below. Then click the “BOOK NOW” button once you’re ready to complete an intake form through our booking request system.
     Note: We kindly request that you book 2-4 workshops at your school/org within a single day and no more than 2 days in total.

Step 3

  • Complete a single booking form for the full day of workshops (e.g., specify your school/org, desired workshop(s), contact info, group size, etc.,).

Step 4

  • Wait for email confirmation of your booking request.
BOOK NOW

***Friendly reminder that we are a team of real humans behind this public booking calendar, so we thank you for your patience as booking confirmation speed may vary. Don’t hesitate to reach out to us at ynra@cheo.on.ca or 613-697-7360 for support at any time Monday-Thursday.***

Additional Booking Guidelines

French Immersion Classrooms: We recognize the challenges that linguistic minorities face when trying to access mental health care services in French. Thus, we are prioritizing our French workshops for francophone schools. If you would like to book a French immersion class, please review our French Mental Health Literacy Workshops page for available dates/times.

Safety Disclaimer

Safety: Our facilitators are supported by a clinical social worker and follow a clinical protocol when a youth discloses mental health concerns. We respect the policies in schools and will always work in collaboration to support students in need. However, our facilitators do not offer medical advice or offer clinical services.
wellness

Wellness101

Description: We have all have a mental health so let’s learn about what that is. The goals for this workshop is for youth to understanding what mental health is, understand the stigma associated to mental health and to learn about what to do if one notices changes to their mental health and where to go to ask for help.

  • Intended Audience: Open to youth ages 12-20, but best suited for gr. 7-8 or groups with lower mental health literacy.
    • Note: May also be offered to gr. 5-6 by special request
  • Duration: 60 mins
  • Capacity: 25-30 participants

 

StressLESS

Description: We all experience stress at some point in our lives. Wouldn’t it be great if we learned some coping strategies to help us manage our most stressful days? This workshop takes you through what stress is, how to locate stress and how to manage stress all while doing fun activities.‍‍‍

  • Intended Audience: Open to youth ages 12-20, but best suited for gr. 7-10
    • Note: As youth move towards adulthood, stressors change. We also encourage you to check out our special Transitional Age Youth workshops specialized designed for-and-with youth ages 16-24, including our “Stress-less for (Almost) Adults” workshop (best suited for gr. 11-12 and beyond!)
  • Duration: 60 mins
  • Capacity: 25-30 participants

How to Help a Friend

Description: Friends are a huge protective factor in our lives so what happens when our friends ask us to support them? This workshop helps you navigate that in a healthy and safe way. We do not want you to become a mini psychologist, but rather, we hope that you will learn about the different resources in and around Ottawa and learn how to best support that friend in need.

  • Intended Audience: Open to youth ages 12-20, but best suited for gr. 9+
      • Note: We also recommend this workshops for mentor / leadership groups who may want training in effective peer support and resource awareness
  • Duration: 60-75 mins (specify your group’s available timeframe at time of booking)
  • Capacity: Ideal for smaller groups (12-15 participants), but also available for full classrooms (25-30 participants)

Growing Together

Description: Human beings are complex. It can be a lot to get to know yourself and meet your own needs much less figure out how to socialize, connect with and support others! This workshop helps youth understand the factors that connect us all together, those that make us different, and how to navigate those differences. Participants will learn about concepts including basic social and emotional needs, neurodiversity, and empathy, and discuss resources to better support ourselves and one another.

  • Intended Audience: Open and suitable to youth ages 12-20 of all backgrounds and knowledge levels
    • Note: This workshop was developed in partnership with CHEO’s Neurodevelopmental Health Team. While it focuses on neurodivergence, it is designed for all groups to help us all better understand one another! An adult ally version is also available for educators and others who work with neurodivergent youth.
  • Duration: 60 mins
  • Capacity: 25-30 participants
digital welness

Digital Wellness

Description: We live so much of our lives online and on our devices, so let’s explore our relationship with technology and how it impacts our mental health (for better and for worse!). You’ll also walk away from this workshop with some helpful tips, self-care tools and resources to find balance in our digital world.

  • Intended Audience: Open and suitable to youth ages 12-20 of all backgrounds and knowledge levels
    • Note: We also recommend this workshop for mentor / leadership groups who may want to learn more about how they can support digital wellness throughout their schools and communities.
  • Duration: 60 mins
  • Capacity: 25-30 participants

SPECIAL WORKSHOPS

See the Transitional Age Youth Workshops page for more workshops.