In 2018, the YAC analyzed the data from their consultations to identify key issues and a theme that unified it all: youth are operating in crisis, and they don’t have stable solutions or access to the help they need. Based on these key issues and theme, the YAC then surveyed people from across Ontario, looking for recommendations. The YAC analyzed the data from more than 100 responses and built two sets of recommendations; recommendations directed to child and youth mental health (CYMH) agencies and government.

Building on the YAC’s work from the previous years, in 2019, the YAC focused on implementing the recommendations from the Crisis to Quality paper. They met with stakeholders from children and youth mental health agencies and government to discuss the implementation of their recommendations

In April, three YAC members travelled to Keystone Child, Youth & Family Services in Owen Sound and delivered a comprehensive presentation reviewing the key recommendations from the paper and worked with community members and service providers to create a strategy to implement the recommendation from the report.

In May, the YAC took Queen’s Park by storm, meeting with the Deputy Premier and Minister of Health Christine Elliot to discuss the recommendations from the paper. The youth and the Minister discussed transitional-aged youth with a focus on raising the age of children and youth mental health services from 18 to 25 and the topic of residential treatment. The YAC members emphasized the need to include children and youth in decisions that affect them and requested a formalized process to engage youth on mental health and addiction policy.

In 2019, the Youth Action Committee took to Twitter during Children’s Mental Health Week in May to talk about marginalized youth experiences who have experienced structural violence and oppressive practices when navigating the current child and youth mental health sector. This Twitter chat’s objective was to lead a discussion on what our mental health system could do better to support children and youth who have not received equitable and appropriate treatment. As a result, the YAC received over 3.6 million Twitter impressions.

In November 2019, the YAC presented the work they accomplished through the 3-year Crisis to Quality policy cycle at Children’s Mental Health Ontario’s annual conference. YAC member Lily Yosieph challenged service providers to walk the talk when it comes to equity and anti-oppressive practices in their organizations.

To conclude the YAC’s 3-year policy cycle, they headed back to Queen’s Park to speak with the Associate Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, Mr. Michael TIbollo, to share their Crisis to Quality policy paper. They shared their concerns about the child and youth mental health system and urged the Minister to take urgent action.