Feeling Alone? Connect with Jack.org to Empower Yourself and Your Peers
Mental health is a tough topic. Jack.org helps young leaders to revolutionize mental health care in Canada. You can help.
Content warning: This article contains brief mentions of suicide. If you or someone you know is in distress, support is available 24/7 by calling Talk Suicide Canada (1-833-456-4566). In an emergency, dial 911.
Jack.org is a Canadian charity focused on youth mental health. The organization trains young people to become leaders among their peers, to better support friends and classmates who are struggling with their mental health. Suicide is among the leading causes of death for young people in Canada, and we know that international students are at significant risk.
That's why Jack.org exists: to help young people understand and address mental health concerns, and in turn, be healthier and happier in all aspects of life. Let's take a quick look at some of the most interesting programs offered by Jack.org — and how you can get involved yourself:
A Jack Talk is a scheduled session featuring two trained, post-secondary aged speakers from the Jack.org team, who speak to their personal stories and offer advice and encouragement. Talks are given in compliance with safe storytelling guidelines (PDF), and cover actionable next steps for accessing resources when you need them.
Schools and community organizations can book a live Jack Talk, either in-person, or virtually — and you can also access a pre-recorded personal version on your own.
You can even become a speaker yourself! You'll get training from the Jack.org team, and a platform to share your experiences and connect with others who may benefit from a helping hand. Learn more about becoming a speaker in this short video:
Jack Chapters are youth-led groups who operate year-round, dismantling the stigmas around mental health care in their communities. Jack.org supports and trains ambassadors to pursue local projects — the specifics of which will depend on local conditions. Different Chapters have different goals and methods, but they're all dedicated to one basic principle: "everyone has mental health, and everyone needs to care for it."
There's over 100 Jack Chapters active now: check out this list on Google Docs. Or, if you can't find a Chapter near you, consider setting up your own!.
You can set up a Chapter yourself, to address a gap you see in your own community, by gathering some like-minded peers, filling out a simple agreement, and going through training with Jack.org staff. In exchange, the Chapter gets funding, guidance, and support from Jack.org.
BeThere.org is an offshoot of Jack.org that focuses on training and certifying young people to support their peers' mental health. Students can take a two-hour online certification course around:
- recognizing when others are struggling with their mental health
- supporting others before, during, and after a mental health crisis
- protecting your own mental health in the process
You can also learn about the 5 Golden Rules of mental health support. Here are the rules; learn more about them on BeThere.org.
- Say what you see
- Show you care
- Hear them out
- Know your role
- Connect to help
Hear from Charlotte on the basics of compassionate listening and "saying what you see:"
There's plenty more on offer from Jack.org, too, from Jack Summits, youth-led conferences held across Canada, to Network Reps, who interface with media on mental health topics, to resources for members of the 2SLGBTQ+ community, and much more.
International students, in particular, face plenty of obstacles when studying abroad: you're away from family, under financial and academic pressures, without access to all the comforts of home. Keeping yourself mentally happy and healthy is an important part of succeeding in your studies, at home or abroad.
Visit Jack.org and BeThere.org to better understand mental health struggles, and begin to support your friends, loved ones, community — and yourself!
Explore resources on Jack.org