This campaign was put together by two young folks with lived expertise working, studying, and advocating in youth health (get to know us a bit better here). 

But we didn't design this all on our own! 

Thanks to the Frayme Knowledge Mobilization Fellowship we have been connecting with folks from all across the country to gather ideas and feedback to stay true to our vision of collaboration and co-design. Throughout our ongoing process of community consultation we have heard from youth, caregivers, advocates, and youth-serving organizations all around Canada to learn more about IYS and what is needed for change. 

If you would like to help us sustain this collaborative approach let us know — get in touch through our contact sheet here. 

Wellbeing can be impacted by many factors at the same time, like physical health, mental health, education, and finding a safe place to live. Even if you know where different support might be available, it can be overwhelming and complicated to figure out where to start. And the way most youth health services are set up means folks often have to go to several different places to have all their needs met. 

The idea behind integrated youth services (IYS) is that youth can go to one location (in-person or even virtually) to get help for all their concerns. Many different service providers, like doctors, nurses, peer support workers etc) will collaborate with youth in one place. This helps prevent people from having to bounce around, wait for additional referrals, and repeat their story over and over. 

Another important part of service integration is standardizing quality and monitoring how services are meeting needs in order to make constant improvements. IYS hopes to get people working as a team to offer the best experiences possible for young people. 

Check out this one-pager from Foundry BC for more information about what makes IYS different!