THE CORE CONNECTORS INITIATIVE: DEVELOPMENT OF A YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH PROGRAM

This paper provides an overview of the development and field-test evaluation of a group-based youth mental health promotion program known as the Core Connectors Initiative (CCI). CCI is a program that aims to help youth gain mental health knowledge and peer support competencies, and reinforce positi...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of child, youth & family studies IJCYFS Vol. 13; no. 1; pp. 30 - 55
Main Authors: Chou, Fred, Pradhan, Kesha, Huang, Carmen
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Victoria University of Victoria 01.01.2022
School of Child and Youth Care, University of Victoria, B.C. Canada
University of Victoria, Department of Linguistics
Subjects:
Adolescent development
Community centers
Critical incident technique
Critical incidents
Data
Health behavior
Health education
Health information
Health literacy
Health Programs
Health promotion
Help seeking behavior
Literacy
Mental health
Mental Health Programs
Mental health promotion
Private Schools
Program Development
Public Schools
Social development
Social support
Training
Training Objectives
Youth
youth, mental health promotion, mental health literacy, program development, program evaluation
ISSN:1920-7298, 1920-7298
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:This paper provides an overview of the development and field-test evaluation of a group-based youth mental health promotion program known as the Core Connectors Initiative (CCI). CCI is a program that aims to help youth gain mental health knowledge and peer support competencies, and reinforce positive help-seeking behaviour. The purpose of the study was to evaluate and refine CCI by examining whether it attains its training objectives of mental health literacy, gatekeeper training, and fostering positive youth development, while exploring helpful and unhelpful participant experiences of the program. CCI was field-tested during the latter half of the 2017/2018 school year at 3 different locations: a private school, a community centre, and a public school. Using mixed methods, the evaluation yielded information on the strengths and areas of growth for future program development. The quantitative data were collected from a sample of 29 youth, while the qualitative data were collected from 9 youth using the Enhanced Critical Incident Technique. The converging data highlight the importance of connection, the value of critical mental health literacy, and the importance of clarifying expectations. The lessons learned from implementing this program can be applied to other youth mental health promotion programs.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-2
content type line 14
ISSN:1920-7298
1920-7298
DOI:10.18357/ijcyfs131202220657