Preserving our mental health is our individual responsibility, to be sure. But this also becomes a collective need when the health and the behaviour of young children are being severely affected.
After two years of pandemic-related social isolation and school-related uncertainties, the situation facing young children across Canada is critical. Statistics compiled by the Canadian Mental Health Association now show that the mental health of 70% of children of school age and 66% of children of pre-school age has deteriorated enormously. Among young children, this often manifests as periods of intense stress.
The pandemic has upended normal life for some children; an entire generation might be affected.
In the aftermath of that grim finding, insurance industry professionals across Canada decided to take steps to preserve the next generation’s mental health. They are joining forces to fund mental health programs designed to protect young people from what could be referred to as a plague.
In discussions of mental illness, childhood and adolescence are deeply critical phases because young people are at a very formative stage of their development. It is therefore necessary to proactively prevent illness and mental disorders before they appear among the very young. The proverb “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” has never been more relevant in the current context. In addition, the Canadian Mental Health Association firmly believes in providing care before a crisis occurs. In its view, prevention is by far the best approach to adopt as we seek to eradicate this problem and protect our greatest asset: the health of the next generation.
The RCCAQ encourages all Quebec brokers to join this movement of industry professionals, known as “The Insurance Industry Champions”.
It is now possible to make a donation to help children and young people cast off their mental health problems and live flourishing lives.
Your contribution is vital: it is estimated that 20% of young Canadians already suffer from a mental illness. They need your help to acquire emotional and social skills and to break out of this vicious circle.
Let’s get involved and protect our future by saving young peoples’ lives!
