The Blue Wave Foundation has been gifted to the Canadian Mental Health Association’s (CMHA) British Columbia (BC) Division to become an extended programme of the bigger charity...

The announcement follows CMHA’s 62nd annual Mental Health Week across Canada, with a focus this year on youth mental health...

As well as distributing information in locations across Canada on staying healthy, the CMHA has also been raising awareness and actively fundraising for its community-focused programmes and services...

The new look Blue Wave will continue with its existing mission of improving youth health, however with the addition of projects such as a youth-led mental wellness course, a new bursary scheme as well as social media campaigning...

Margaret and Jack Lee started the innovative Blue Wave Foundation in 2007 after the loss of their daughter Janice, 18, to suicide...

It is now hoped the impact of their initiative battling stigma and offering hope can grow in partnership with the CMHA, Canada’s largest community mental health charity, and one of the oldest voluntary organisations in Canada...

“We want our family’s legacy to live and flourish with a respected charity that’s already in communities across Canada, that works on mental wellbeing and not just mental illness, and that can support youth as they turn into young adults. CMHA was a perfect fit...” says Jack Lee...

The small charity has worked with youth to develop the concept of depression as a ‘blue wave’ that can be overwhelming but also can be ridden and overcome...

The vision of Blue Wave is to encourage young people to talk about mental health and have young people lead the change and develop solutions towards wellness...

Canada has relatively high levels of youth suicide in comparison to many other developed countries, higher than the USA, for instance, UK, Nederlands and Germany...

CMHA BC Division CEO, Bev Gutray, says the organisation was “humbled and truly honoured” by the gift of Blue Wave...

CMHA BC’s plans for Blue Wave include establishing a youth advisory council to inform Blue Wave’s programmes, and the development of a skills-building course for young people called Living Life to the Full...

Initially limited to BC, it is hoped Blue Wave will eventually develop into a national programme...

Specialised services linked to youth mental health are still relatively pioneering, and many professionals feel vulnerable youngsters have been too often neglected and need to be better supported...

The focus on prevention of serious illness and offering services that are about empowerment of young people with coping skills, and the opening up of communications and problem sharing, are concepts that are very often NGO driven...