Toronto, Ontario-The Government of Canada recognizes the immense challenges faced by those fleeing conflict and is committed to improving access to vital mental health services for vulnerable newcomers. Since 1989, Kids Help Phone has provided free, 24/7, confidential mental health resources to young people across Canada.
Today, on World Refugee Day, the Honourable Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, announced a contribution agreement with Kids Help Phone to provide counselling services for Afghan and Ukrainian youth in Dari, Pashto, Ukrainian and Russian. These new services respond to the urgent need faced by youth fleeing conflicts in Afghanistan and Ukraine. The Minister visited the Kids Help Phone office in Toronto where he saw firsthand how funding provided by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is being used to expand phone counselling services to Afghan and Ukrainian youth.
This funding is part of a larger $2 million agreement that will allow Kids Help Phone to gradually expand its professional phone counselling service via interpreters to 100 languages by 2025 and builds on the previous introduction of Arabic and Mandarin interpretation in 2019.
Culturally sensitive, youth-oriented mental health phone counselling is just one of the supports in place for Afghan and Ukrainian families arriving in Canada.
There are more than 500 service provider organizations across Canada that are funded by IRCC to deliver settlement services to permanent residents, including resettled refugees, and to Ukrainians arriving in Canada under the Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel. Many of these organizations offer support directly to youth. These include
- help during and after school
- recreational activities
- leadership and mentorship programs
- help developing skills and preparing for employment
IRCC continues to work closely with provinces, territories and service provider organizations across the country to welcome vulnerable newcomers and help them adjust to life in Canada.
Photos from today's event are available in Dropbox.
