Hello everyone,

Jay and I are still on our world, I mean province tour visiting all of our incredible TNM Groups! 

Last week, we had the chance to connect with our TNM Group in Peterborough with our partner agency Peterborough Youth Services. Right off the bat, a couple of us began sharing our snack haul, an essential to any TNM Group gathering, of course. A snack corner is a must at all virtual meetings! 

After many laughs, the youth shared that they are currently designing a mural for Peterborough Youth Services to create a more youth-friendly environment. The youth want to represent community members as “flower” people, representing both internal growth at the individual level and external growth at the community level. I was blown away by the youth and how thoughtful and intentional they were with their project. 

After working on the project a bit, I asked everyone, what their ideal child and youth mental health system would look like? The youth jumped right in and began sharing that we need a diverse, equitable, accessible and person-centered approach where services cater to individual needs. One youth’s words resonated with me when they mentioned the transition between various therapists feels “audition-like” and robotic. Our meeting went over by 10 minutes, as the youth were very passionate about sharing their thoughts. We are definitely going to be coming back to hear more! 

One of the funniest parts of the meeting, and one that I still can’t stop laughing about, is youth analyzing all of our zodiac signs and what it all means. I learned quite a bit! 

Jay and I are looking forward to visiting all the youth again and can’t wait to meet them and see the jaw-dropping mural they’re working on in person! 

See you all soon on zoom, 

Fizza Abbas, Network Coordinator