Who We Are and What We Do
The Advocate for Children and Youth is an independent officer of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan. The advocate leads a team of professionals to advocate for the rights, interests, and well-being of children and youth in Saskatchewan.

Our vision is that the rights, well-being and voice of children and youth respected and valued.

Our mandate is defined by The Advocate for Children and Youth Act. We do:

Advocacy on behalf of children and youth receiving services from a provincial ministry, direct or delegated agency or publicly funded health entity.
Investigations into any matter concerning or services provided to children and youth by a provincial ministry, direct or delegated agency or publicly funded health entity.
Public Education to raise awareness of the rights, interests and well-being of children and youth.
Research and Advise on any matter relating to the rights, interests and well-being of children and youth.
These functions are all interconnected and support the overarching goal to create systemic change for the benefit of the young people in Saskatchewan.

Game Changers Playbook is made for educators and students to address mental health and well-being in our schools and communities. The playbook is a collection of ministry reviewed mental health resources that are evidence-based and curriculum linked. Resources provided in the playbook are manageable, user-friendly and connect to actions within the Provincial Education Plan’s Mental Health and Well-being priority.

The Ministry of Education and the Saskatchewan Roughrider Foundation have partnered again this off season to provide the Game Changers Playbook to educators and students. The playbook is a collection of ministry reviewed mental health resources that are evidence-based and curriculum linked. Resources provided in the playbook are manageable, user-friendly and connect to actions within the Provincial Education Plan’s Mental Health and Well-being priority.

Together with the Foundation, the following leading youth mental wellness organizations are providing resources to all schools in the province for no cost. Schools can book a session with one or more of the organizations listed below or apply for a youth grant through the Game Changers Playbook web page.

*Saskatchewan Roughrider Foundation – Win With Wellness Player Presentation Series
*Strong Kids Strong Minds, Psychology Canada – Kids Have Stress Too! and Stress Lessons
*Kids Help Phone – Counsellor in the Classroom
*SaskTel – Be Kind Online Youth Grant

Also available for registration is the Rider Reading Program which brings player ambassadors into Saskatchewan schools to promote literacy and positive feelings towards daily reading.

Contact: marnie.forsberg@saskriders.com

Find information on how to access treatment services and answer questions related to addiction and mental health services. Contact the Saskatchewan Region's NNADAP Program Manager at (306) 780-8392. You can also contact the main Saskatchewan Regional Office at (306) 780-5449 or (306) 780-5038.

All First Nations and Inuit individuals have access to these centres. Clients entering in–patient treatment are required to complete a medical examination before being admitted. All referrals are to be sent directly to treatment centres. Referrals are reviewed to ensure that each individual meets the program requirements.

What is schizophrenia? Who does it affect? What can I do about it? How can I help a loved one?

"The Science of Happiness is a free online course that explores the roots of a happy and meaningful life. Students engage with some of the most provocative and practical lessons from this science, discovering how cutting-edge research can be applied to their own lives.

Since it first launched in September of 2014, The Science of Happiness has been hugely popular: It is one of the top 10 courses on the edX platform, where it is hosted; more than 500,000 students have registered for it so far; and students who complete the course report significant increases in their happiness and decreases in their levels of stress and loneliness."

You will have to register to take this free online course!

In this course you will engage in a series of challenges designed to increase your own happiness and build more productive habits. You will ultimately be prepared to successfully incorporate a specific wellness activity into your life. Enroll for free.
SKILLS YOU WILL GAIN
Gratitude
Happiness
Meditation
Savoring

A recent survey found that 37% of teens say they have poor mental health.

This 6-week course aims to curb this mental health crisis by bringing together the best insights from Dr. Laurie Santos’ popular Yale course Psychology and the Good Life.

In this course, you will explore what the field of psychology teaches us about how to be happier, how to feel less stressed, and how to thrive in high school and beyond. The lessons along with short weekly ‘happiness homework’ assignments will ultimately prepare you to put these scientific findings into practice. The ultimate goal is for you to feel better and build healthier habits.

Parents, teachers, and other professionals supporting teenagers may also find the course beneficial.

The video focusses on mental health wellness and self-care. It addresses mental health concerns identified in discussions with community members, ranging from mental illness and addiction to stigma in seeking treatment and care.

"A library full of free tips, videos, and more to help you get through the school year. Check it out!"

Self-compassion involves being aware of our own pain and suffering, and understanding that this is a hard, but normal human experience. Directing feelings of kindness and care towards ourselves, and focusing our attention and energy on how we might alleviate our pain, are also crucial components of self-compassion. Self-compassion can bring great benefits for our mental health and well-being. Particularly, self-compassion can activate our soothe system, which calms the threat and drive systems. Our threat and drive systems tend to be overactive for many of us much of the time, and responsible for the difficult emotions we may be struggling with (e.g., anxiety, anger, depression). The opposite of self-compassion is self-criticism. This very negative thinking style often links to difficult emotions and mental health problems. Those who are highly self-critical particularly need to develop the ability to relate to themselves in a compassionate way.

GOAL: Experience the self-compassion that naturally exists within you & consider how you care for yourself each day.

Low self-esteem is having a generally negative overall opinion of oneself, judging or evaluating oneself negatively, and placing a general negative value on oneself as a person. People with low self-esteem usually have deep-seated, basic, negative beliefs about themselves and the kind of person they are. These beliefs are often taken as facts or truths about their identity, rather than being recognised as opinions they hold about themselves. It is important to know that low self-esteem is a common problem for many people in our society – so you are not alone. Low self-esteem can occur as part of a current problem (such as depression), or as a result of other problems (such as chronic illness, relationship problems) or it can be a problem in itself. Either way, the good news is that you can take steps towards developing more healthy self-esteem.

**Website includes worksheets, workbooks and information sheet on self-esteem.

As part of a collaboration between McGill University and the University of Guelph, we are an international outreach organization providing current information and helpful resources about self-injury to individuals who self-injure, those who have recovered, as well as their caregivers and families, friends, teachers and the health professionals who work with them.

This site incudes information on the following:
-Facts about sleep
-Insomnia
-Insomnia and your thinking
-Sleep hygiene

This site also includes worksheets and information sheets available for download.

"This toolkit includes a set of 6 facilitation guides for small-group SEL activities—complete with “how to” instructions and differentiation tips for educators. These low-lift strategies are designed to help promote positive relationships while building students’ SEL skills."

Body Scan
Positive Pivot
Rose, Bud, Thorn
Two-Word Check-In
Lunch Bunch
WOOP

You will need to enter your contact information to download this document.

Smiling Mind can be used with kids, teachers or parents - at school and at home!

"Smiling Mind is a non-for-profit web and app-based meditation program developed by psychologists and educators to help bring mindfulness into your life."

To use these mediation, you can use the website, or download the free app from the App Store or Google Play.

There are full programs for classrooms, specifically for teachers, kids as well as adults.

Strategies for Academic Success accompanies the online first-year University of Saskatchewan Arts and Science course by the same name. The textbook has a reader-friendly format arranged to help you develop the essential skills and provide the information you need to succeed in university.

What is stress? Who does it affect? What can I do about it? How can I help a loved one?

The following is a chart on stress awareness. It includes the following questions:
- What was the stressful situation or event?
- What body sensations did I feel?
- What emotions did I have?
- What were my thoughts?
- How did I react or respond?

Many farmers suffer from high levels of stress and depression, but they don’t often talk about it. CBC news interviewed farmers about their mental health struggles and experiences with stress and depression. This video shows interviews with Saskatchewan farmers who have experienced mental health issues. It fits well with the Agriculture Production 10-30 outcomes covering psychological health.