New movement tackles mental health crisis among Indigenous boys and young men

Kids Help Phone are making noise to End the Silence.

On Tuesday, August 18, Kids Help Phone launched their first annual ‘End the Silence’ day – a movement committed to addressing the mental health crisis among Indigenous boys and young men.

According to Kids Help Phone, it is the first ever recognition day dedicated to Indigenous boys and young men’s mental health.

“At its heart, End the Silence is about ensuring that Indigenous boys and young men have access to mental health resources that meed their needs,” said Deanna Dunham, director of Indigenous initiatives at Kids Help Phone.

“It’s about reducing stigma and encouraging Indigenous boys and young men to reach out for support. We want them to know they’re loved and valued, and have supports that are available to them.”

Data indicates that Indigenous boys and young men face significant and often unreported mental health challenges. According to Statistics Canada, nearly 1 in 5 Indigenous males aged 18 to 24 have contemplated suicide. Among younger demographics, over 12 percent of Indigenous males 15 to 17 have seriously contemplated suicide.

In Canada, men account for approximately 75 percent of all suicide deaths.

But Dunham said only 16 percent of the total Indigenous people who reached out to Kids Help Phone service identified as male.

“With such a low number reaching out, it’s clear more work needs to be done,” said Dunham.

“We need to combat that impression that you need to be tough, and that holding everything in is a sign of strength. We want them to know it’s okay to reach out for support.”

The movement is also advocating for more research and programming in communities to address mental health issues. They are collecting resources and information from different community organizations and individuals across the country, all of which can be found on their End the Silence website.

The site contains help phone resources, articles short films, and messages that Kids Help Phone believes could be very impactful to young people.

“This is the first year, but we hope over the course of the year, and years to come, to be able to add more research and program ideas. We hope it becomes a growing, curated catalogue of resources for Indigenous boys and men,” said Dunham.

The website also features messages and testimonials from prominent Indigenous leaders, activists, and artists, including Michael Linklater, Joey Stylez, Snotty Nose Rez Kids, Drezus, Kiefer Collison, and Braden Kadlun.

“We as Indigenous males have a lot of internal battles that we’re dealing with, and no one really knows,” said Linklater in a statement. “When I was in my 20s I had my own struggles. I felt like I had the weight of the world sitting on my shoulders.”

“It’s time Indigenous men stop thinking we have to carry everything alone,” said Stylez in a statement. “A lot of us were raised to be tough. Not talk about what’s going on inside. And there is strength in us, we’ve survived a lot. But I’ve learned that strength isn’t pretending that nothing hurts. Sometimes the strongest thing you can say is ‘I’m not doing good right now’.”

Dunham said that a common thing they hear from other organizations is that young men and boys aren’t often signing up for community programming.

Thus, Dunham said they need more Indigenous men in leadership and support positions who can connect with young people in need. A Kids Help Phone program called Brighter Days has seen a noted uptick in engagement when young men and boys can connect with male role models.

“We hear from communities that the boys are really resonating with male facilitators and wellness specialists. Having more men in mental health space is one of the thing I believe research would indicate we need to do,” said Dunham.

With the current wildfires forcing many First Nations and rural communities to evacuate and live in small accommodations, Dunham said mental health for young people can often be a major concern.

“These are tough times. Families living in a hotel room for months at a time is not a recipe for healthy relationships,” she said.

With End the Silence campaign, Dunham said that they want to be clear that no matter the situation a young person might be in, that there are supports for them whenever they need it.

More information can be found at endthesilence.com