Youth Action Commitee’s

vision

In order for Ontario’s mental health system to provide equitable services for BIPOC youth, service providers must understand the unique barriers and challenges that they face. Racism, discrimination, cultural insensitivity, internalized stigma, inadequate access to economic resources and social exclusion are experiences that are not understood and that prevent effective mental healthcare. BIPOC youths’ voices have not been listened to and have not been treated with the compassion, trust and respect that they rightfully deserve. Every youth has the right to effective mental health treatment and care, which is currently lacking for racialized youth across the province. This policy paper provides policy recommendations to establish racial equity within mental health services across the province, and to ensure that BIPOC youth are prioritized in a system that has neglected them for far too long. While change within the mental health system cannot be immediate, the short-term goals provided throughout this paper are a realistic place to start before progressing into the long-term goals. The system must recognize racism, discrimination, internal bias, and racial stereotyping and create an inclusive, equitable, and diverse environment. It is imperative that these policy recommendations be executed and the appropriate funding be allocated for this to occur. 

ACCESS THE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY IN ENGLISH AND FRENCH

ABOUT THE PROJECT

Information on the topic of race and mental health is crucial because children and youth from marginalized communities are the most at risk of developing serious mental health conditions, and are the least represented in care and treatment. BIPOC youth face unique challenges and barriers such as racism, discrimination, and cultural insensitivity. This policy paper recognizes the importance of addressing the unique yet neglected needs of BIPOC youth, in order to provide more equitable and appropriate mental healthcare.  

Three key findings were derived from the YAC survey and youth-led consultations in the broad areas of cultural insensitivity, economic challenges, and social exclusion, which were then combined with other external research and data sources to inform recommendations in this report. Six key recommendations are presented as per the findings and YAC input, which include relevant anti-racist training, hiring more diverse service providers, providing effective anti-racist training in schools, implementing more types of mental health services, ensuring effective navigation of services, and mandating race-based data collection.