Then we got right down to business. The week before, we had come up with phrases we wanted to show the audience at the conference and decided to put them on Bristol board. We figured out the order we wanted to show the phrases in and practiced holding them up one at a time.

Next we prepared the manner in which we would speak in the afternoon’s group discussions. We figured out what to say in different scenarios and reassured ourselves that our input would be well received.

The rest of our meeting was spent designing our name tags and assembling the contents of the boxes we were going to place in the centre of each table. We put one “leader” badge in each box, as well as paper to write on, a brand new pencil, and a poem and some chocolate coins for good measure. And of course, tons of mindyourmind pamphlets, stickers, and postcards!

Although we stayed half an hour later than usual to get everything prepared, our meeting went by quickly once again. Everyone left feeling really pumped for the next day.

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The conference was completely amazing. The Street Team came early to help set everything up and soon the room was full of people all munching on the free breakfast provided. Right away, I could not believe the amount of caring and dedicated people there are out there in the community that want change in our mental health system, especially when it comes to young people. Everyone was there for the same reason: change.

When it was time for the conference to officially start, we snuck out of the main room and assembled outside the door with our premade signs. Without announcement we reentered the room and stood in a line in front of everyone. One by one we raised our signs, slowly for maximum impact. Messages such as “I need help where do I go?”, “Look at me when I’m talking”, and “I am the expert of my experience”, registered on the faces of the crowd throughout the room. I’m sure some had heard some of those words from youth before, but surely not all of them. The presence of youth - both at the conference as well as in the community itself – had been established.

For the morning portion of the conference we heard from some great speakers. Ian Manion, the Executive Director with the Provincial Centre of Excellence, got everyone excited and prepared for the goals of the day. Helen Lowe, from the Ministry of Child and Youth Services, did an equally amazing job addressing the crowd. The five panel members each took a turn to speak, describing youth gambling addictions and pornography and youth sex offenders.

There was one panel member that resonated with everyone the most and received a standing ovation: Ashley, a mindyourmind volunteer since 2004, when the website was first launched. She bravely told the audience of her life experience with addictions, abuse, homelessness, and lack of support from the mental health system. Her courage gave me goose bumps and reminded everyone just how real such problems are and how the mental health system needs to change in order to better help youth. I can’t say enough about her speech; she made me proud to be with mindyourmind, proud to be a survivor of trauma myself, and gave me hope for the future. I look up to her so much and clapped as loudly as I could!

After the moving speeches from the morning we had a free lunch, complete with fresh veggies and cookies. After lunch, the mindyourmind Street Team once again addressed the crowd, asking them to stand if our messages applied to them:

“Stand if you know someone personally who suffers from mental health and addictions”

“Stand if you use technology with your clients, students, and patients as a way of communicating or connecting.”

“Stand if you feel you have the support from the system to do the work well.”

Everyone sat down for the last message, a response that prompted the afternoon’s activity of discussions. An awesome webcam video from Street Team members Max and Darragh (who, unfortunately, couldn’t make it to the conference) instructed everyone to look under their seat for a sign saying if they would be the table leader. The rest of the Street Team members took to the floor and each sat down at a table full of strangers to give insight from our youth perspective. The boxes we had prepared were opened and everyone began discussing the following questions:

1. What are your experiences with the issue of Addictions and Child and Youth Mental Health?

2. Currently, what are the strengths of the SW region in responding to youth experiencing these challenges?

3. Currently, what are gaps of the SW region in responding to youth experiencing these challenges?

4. What are 3 things you would like to see happen in the SW region over the next 6 months to make the system better for youth?

5. What is your role in making these changes?

6. Do you use technology – websites, online tools, cell phones, texting, in your work with youth?

7. How can you integrate the use of technology into your practice?

The Street Team members switched tables halfway through the discussion period so every table to receive youth input. Everyone at my two tables were very responsive, respectful, and full of suggestions! So many ideas and concerns were juggled and I earnestly shared my input as much as I could. It felt incredible to have a voice within the room of professionals – we of the Street Team represented youth in its purest form.

After the discussion period was over, Ian Manion took the mic again, stopping at each table for a three point summary of the changes discussed within the groups. Notes were taken on chart paper at the front of the conference room and after each table had spoken, members of the audience were given stickers to place beside the points they believed in the most.

After everyone had voted the conference concluded: good-byes and thank yous were shared, with promises of sharing the information we’d come up with in order to better our mental health services for youth. The members of the Street Team returned to our original tables and eagerly shared ideas and experiences with each other. As everyone filtered out of the building, Helen Lowe approached us with new questions and we enthusiastically tossed around ideas. Eventually we said good-bye to each other for the day, and collected our winter coats. One by one we left the building.

On behalf of the whole Street Team I would like to say thank you to everyone involved, and for involving us in the process. It was such an amazing experience! The conference is over, though it’s clear that the true changes are only just beginning.

Written by Erin, 24