OUR HISTORY

September 1992 -The Black Youth Helpline Manitoba was launched. Lessons learned in Manitoba formed the basis for establishment of the Black Youth Helpline in Ontario.

March 2003 -Black Youth Helpline established in Ontario.

The origin of the Black Youth Helpline program model was created by youth for youth as follows:

Black Youth in Manitoba independently developed an initiative and started a flyer called “Black Hand to Black Hand”. They went into shopping malls and to the streets to do outreach, encouraging out of school youth to return to school.

This youth led project generated high involvement from youth who regularly converged on Winnipeg shopping malls and streets with their outreach message.

During this period, youth identified the need to add the name and phone number of a professional “adult resource” to their flyer. Their goal became to identify a person youth could relate to and could call for help and support when needed. Youth approached the woman who as a result would ultimately become the Founder of Black Youth Helpline, Manitoba and now Ontario.

Once she had agreed to her name and phone number being listed in the “Black Hand to Black Hand” flyer, this volunteer following her work days came home to excessive calls and messages from youth needing supports. In one instance, the Winnipeg Police Service picked up a 14 year old young Black male at about 1:30 am and asked him for his parents or someone they could call. The young boy promptly replied that the police could call (and he named his contact and provided her phone number). The police called and the volunteer went out and substituted as the “caring mother” of this youth. This was the first time this young man met the volunteer but the resultant relationship is to this day described by this young man as the intervention that changed his life.

-Several weeks later and the level of calls to her home phone continued to increase. Inspired by the voices of youth seeking supports and aware of the problems confronting Black youth especially in Ontario, this woman called on other multicultural community professionals, parents and leaders in the City of Winnipeg. The resultant efforts led to the birth of Black Youth Helpline, Manitoba.

Patterns of calls to the Helpline (the voices of youth) influenced and informed the type of specific programs that ultimately flowed from the Manitoba Helpline and this is consistent with the process now in place in Ontario. In Manitoba, “problems in schools” was the key issue identified and schools were the major users of the service.  The Stay-In-School Program became the key focus. In Ontario, parents and youth are the key users of the service. The issues are more complex and include:

1) significant mental health stresses and problems

2) gaps in mental health services
3) lack of adequate resources for early identification and intervention

4) Significant gaps in professional, culturally appropriate school based supports

The need for appropriate support for  parents is a thread through abovementioned observations These have emerged as priority challenges to be addressed if Ontario is to effectively intervene in youth violence and crime prevention. 

That is, historically, the voices of youth in the specific province have shaped BYH program direction in that jurisdiction.