Black Advisory Council

Use a read speaker Print a document

As part of our commitment to addressing anti-Black racism in mental health and wellness support, it’s critical that we learn from and embrace leadership from African, Caribbean, and Black individuals across Canada

Black Advisory Council at Kids Help Phone (BAC) collaborates with our Manager of Black Initiatives to enhance support for the mental health and well-being of Black youth. They provide guidance for the implementation of the RiseUp: Kids Help Phone Action Plan for Supporting Black Youth, ensuring equitable, high-quality, culturally informed, and accessible support for African, Caribbean, and Black youth across Canada You can read more about RiseUp: Kids Help Phone Action plan for Supporting Black Youths

The Black Advisory council (BAC) is composed of African, Carribean and Black individuals who have demonstrated a commitment to supporting the mental health and wellness of young people from the Afro-diaspora across Canada. You can view a list of current BAC members here.

The BAC’s decisions are rooted in members’ experiences and expertise, informed by feedback from Black youth, Black-led organizations, and Black communities through engagement, partnerships, and ad hoc working groups and feedback from youth who access Kids Help Phone’s programs and services.

BAC Member Role Description:

Roles and responsibilities

  • Sharing insights into Black community mental health and well-being, topics, and issues within their own Afro-diasporic communities.
  • Supporting Kids Help Phone’s commitment to eliminating Black youth barriers to accessing mental health services by informing organizational policies and practices.
  • Reviewing RiseUp powered by Kids Help Phone initiatives and making recommendations to ensure that its offerings and practices support the well-being and empowerment of African, Caribbean, and Black youth and communities.
  • Providing recommendations for Kids Help Phone’s data collection practices related to Black and Afro-diasporic service user data and using this to inform future work.
  • Supporting media interviews and conversations with donors and partners if interested and when necessary.
  • Facilitating partnerships and collaborations that will support the implementation of RiseUp: Kids Help Phone’s Action Plan for supporting Black Youth; and
  • Determining how and when to pursue funding to support this strategy so that we work with and not against Black organizations that also need ongoing support and funding Kids Help Phone policies and confidentiality.

Eligibility

  • identify as African, Caribbean, and Black members across Canada
  • be 16 years of age or older with strong connections to the Black community

Make an impact! Join the Black Advisory Council at Kids Help Phone. We’re recruiting passionate individuals who identify as African, Caribbean, or Black, or are part of the Afro-diaspora, with strong connections to the Black community.

 Ready to take action? Apply to the Black Advisory Council