Our Program
What is POMHPY?
A Preventative Online Mental Health Program for Youth (POMHPY) is a free, 6-week online mental wellness program for youth between the ages of 12 to 25 living in Ontario. There are three main pillars to this program:
Mental wellbeing and resilience
Physical wellness
Social connectedness
This youth-led program is guided by youth facilitators that participants can relate to. Each week, participants build wellness strategies related to the three pillars through various evidence-based, interactive activities. These include making food, sharing playlists, engaging in low-impact exercise, and more!
Other features of POMHPY include:
A free art activity kit
Student volunteer hours
A POMHPY Wellness Certificate
An honoraria for helping us improve POMHPY
Please keep in mind, this program is preventative in nature and is not a suitable replacement for clinical care to treat your mental health needs. Rather, the focus of this preventative program is boosting mental, social, and physical wellness.
Why POMHPY?
More than 60% of parents say dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic has been difficult for their children. Youth also note that they struggle with isolation and being unable to engage in regular activities outside their home. We saw a need and jumped to action to develop a preventative online mental health program for youth, with input from youth.
POMHPY aims to support youth mental health by helping them address challenges that have been intensified since the start of the pandemic. Watch the video to learn more about why we developed POMHPY, and to hear youth perspectives!
Program Structure
POMHPY includes 6 consecutive program sessions, each with its own theme and wellness activities. Download our session infographic here.
1: Affirming the Beat
Focus: music and positive affirmations
2: Bodies in Motion
Focus: movement and physical activities
3: Balanced Bodies & Minds
Focus: awareness of the present
Focus: mindful art
An art kit will be provided
4: Creative Minds
Focus: self-regulation techniques
5: Finding your Center
Focus: developing sustainable goals
6: Dream, Plan, Do!
Group Structure
Each group follows a similar structure:
Made up of 5-15 youth
Run by one youth facilitator and one youth co-facilitator
After the provincial expansion, groups will be separated by age (i.e., youth ages 12 to 17 will be in separate groups than youth ages 18 to 25)
Eligibility Criteria
To participate in POMHPY you must:
Be a youth, aged 12 to 25
Live in Ontario
Have access to a computer or laptop (with speakers and a microphone), a reliable internet connection, and a private space
Be fluent in English
Please note, a medical referral is not required to join the program.
Signing Up for POMHPY
If you meet the eligibility criteria and are interested in participating, click Sign Up! to fill out our sign up form.
If we don’t have spots available, you will be placed on a waitlist. While you wait, please feel free to check out our infographics or browse our wellness resources.
Please check the Sign Up page to see what dates we are running POMHPY!
Once you are registered, you will receive access to the Participant Portal, where you will find:
Weekly Youth Wellness Journals and session slides
Group messaging boards
Other participant resources
If POMHPY sounds like the right program for you, sign up now!
