In Foundry centres, teams of experts, including peer support workers, work together with each young person to form a plan that is shaped around their unique needs. Foundry’s integrated care model brings together health and social service providers working to empower young people on their path to wellness. This holistic approach helps young people find the help they need without having to retell their story and try to navigate a complex system alone.
Providing services for young people ages 12-24 allows Foundry to support them as they age out of youth services into adult systems; as well as those who are aging out of government care. We know that 75 per cent of mental health and substance use challenges begin before the age of 25. Foundry specifically focuses on this age range with the intention of wrapping services around young people when they are at most risk for mental health challenges and help ensure they have the appropriate care and support when they need it most.
The Foundry centres offer free and confidential services, and provide walk-in hours. Young people do not need a referral for the centre.
Foundry’s online platform, foundrybc.ca, powered by BC Children’s Hospital, is a provincial mental health and wellness resource designed to enable young people to identify mental health, substance use or other life challenges early and to provide a range of tools and supports to take action and prevent challenges from becoming more severe.
Foundrybc.ca provides information, self-checks, apps and tools, and help connecting with Foundry Centres, phone supports, online supports, and other services in their community.
On foundrybc.ca you can learn more about common challenges young people experience, early signs of mental health and wellness challenges, and how to connect young people to tools and support, if needed.
The simple screening self-checks on foundrybc.ca will help the young person to better understand what’s going on for them and connect them with support appropriate to their needs. For the most accurate results, the young person should complete the self-check themselves as some questions relate to personal thoughts and feelings.
Encourage the young person to take the self-check themselves by:
- Inviting them to the computer to the self-check (get it set-up for them and make sure to give them privacy).
- Sharing the foundrybc.ca website with them and encouraging them to visit it themselves.
- Offering support in taking the next step in seeking help.
The good news is that addressing any emerging issues at an early stage can help prevent mental health problems from getting worse and disrupting a young person’s life.
We encourage you to have a conversation if you know a young person who seems to be struggling.