Quitterie, our exchange student from France, shared the details of her recent adventures and noted that she was participating in the Rotary Club of Bolton’s Haunted Hill Run fundraiser and encouraged all to participate.
After Wendell Brown was his usual very entertaining and observational Sergeant-at-Arms, the highlight of our meeting was a presentation by Andrea Peca from Peel Children’s Centre (PCC). Andrea shared her deep passion for children and youth mental health, not just as a fundraising professional, but as a mom of 3 children. She outlined the history and services of PCC from its founding in 1985 and its growth to current day where it now serves more than 4,300 children and youth per year (7,000 clinical treatments) and is now one of the largest CYMH agencies in Canada. PCC offers individual and group counselling, school-based programs, respite, residential programs and walk-in counselling (Tangerine Walk-in Clinic for Children and Youth Mental Health). The latter service is operated jointly with AYSP and Rapport Youth & Family Services.
Andrea also stressed the importance of early intervention as one in five children and youth will encounter a mental health challenge, usually before the 19th birthday. This would include about 80,000 youth in Peel yet only about 20% will get help. Undiagnosed mental health issues can have downstream effects (anxiety, depression and even suicide). Suicide is the leading cause of non-accidental death for youth in Ontario
She outlined the continuing barriers for youth getting help, with stigma being the most common. PCC helps to reduce stigma by offering mobile crisis response, distance support and volunteer drivers. The lack of government funding is another key factor as Peel is the most underfunded region, on a per capita basis, in Ontario.
Andrea noted that WhereToStart.ca is the rebranded one stop phone-in centralized intake for all CYMH in Peel (Rapport, AYSP, Nexus, PCC and both major hospital groups).
We can help by offering to volunteer, donate and sponsorship. She noted the strong link between PCC and Rotary as the nearby PCC facility (Morgan House) is named after founding PCC Chair and past Rotary Club of Brampton President – Joe Morgan.