On October 8, Kids Help Phone, with support from the Movember Foundation, launched Guys Corner, an online support area and specialist referral service offering boys ages 14 to 18 a place to go when 'they are going through difficult times.
According to the organization Kids Help Phone, which has offered counseling and referral services to young Canadians since 1989, "Stigma and stereotypes make boys more reluctant to seek help and encourage them to resort to more dangerous behaviors to deal with their problems. ". In addition, workers find that adolescents adopt risky behaviors more frequently and die by suicide more often than adolescent girls.
It was therefore necessary to create a resource intended specifically for boys. In fact, again according to the organization, boys who use its consultation service are 31 % less likely to talk about mental and emotional health compared to girls, and are 36 % less likely than the latter to approach the suicide and suicide-related topics.
Our Guys Corner wants to tackle the issues that prevent teens from seeking help and offer supports such as direct access to a worker via chat, in addition to information and interactive tools.
" Guys Corner was created to empower guys to find solutions to the problems they face before they even get into a crisis, ”said Sharon Wood, President and CEO of Kids Help Phone . This was all made possible thanks to the support of the Movember Foundation, a global charity that raises awareness and raises funds for men's health (also well known for its famous November “mustache” campaign).
To learn more, visit www.coindesgars.ca.