I am pleased to share with you details relating to the National Youth Anti-Stigma Event.
What: National Youth Anti-Stigma Event
When: November 16-22, 2014
Where: Encounters with Canada Campus, Ottawa, ON
Who: 120 Student Leaders from across Canada
The goal is to ignite a national dialogue about mental health among students aged 14-17. Participants will have the
opportunity to learn about mental health and how to reduce, in your schools, communities, and homes, the stigma
often associated with mental health problems and mental illness.
This journey of discovery will include group presentations, opportunities for self-expression through the arts and
social media, explorations around health and wellness, as well as trips within the Ottawa area led by our hosting
partner, Encounters with Canada.
Encounters with Canada is a youth focused-organization operated by the Canadian Unity Council, in cooperation
with numerous government departments, with a mandate to present programs that unify Canadians and cultures
within Canada. Visit www.ewc-rdc.ca for more information on their programs.
Student Recruitment
As we are hoping to have 120 student leaders join us for the National Youth Anti-Stigma event, we are reaching
out to you for assistance with student recruitment. In fact, anti-stigma programs have shown that if we are able to
recruit three to four students from the same school, we increase the likelihood that meaningful stigma reduction
will occur once they return from the National Event. We would welcome any suggestions you might be able to
send our way and would ask that you take into consideration the following criteria that students should have
demonstrated leadership experience within their schools and an interest in learning more about issues related to
mental health and the role they can play in reducing the stigma often associated with mental health problems and
mental illness.
Program
The National Summit schedule will be finalized shortly and will include a wide variety of activities. This includes:
out trips in the Ottawa area, including a tour of Ottawa and visit to Parliament; presentations on mental health
from many perspectives and opportunities for self-exploration. The week will end with an opportunity for the
youth to provide feedback to the leadership of the Mental Health Commission of Canada on strategies for
reducing stigma.
FEES
There is NO registration fee for students to attend.
Typically, the cost per student for a week in Ottawa, hosted by Encounters with Canada, is just $675 and includes
transportation to Ottawa from anywhere in Canada, lodging, local transportation, meals, and most activities. We
wish to acknowledge Exchanges Canada, a program of the Department of Canadian Heritage, for their
contributions to keeping costs manageable for all students.
For the Youth Anti-stigma National Event only, the $675 registration will be waived and paid by the Mental
Health Commission of Canada.
Students are asked to bring money to attend a cultural event on Thursday evening and for shopping and lunch in
downtown Ottawa on Friday.
ELIGIBILITY
This is a fully bilingual environment and open to students who are:
 14-17 years old
 enrolled in a school or an educational institution recognized by the Ministry of Education in their province
or territory
 A Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada. All attendees must have a health care card.
FOR INFORMATION CONTACT HEATHER MCRAE at: ewcmentalhealthweek@mentalhealthcommission.ca.
REGISTRATION
NOTE: On-line registration MUST be completed through Encounters with Canada.
The application process takes 15-20 minutes and should be completed in one sitting. Failure to complete the
registration before exiting will result in having to re-register.
HOW TO REGISTER
The deadline for registration with Encounters with Canada is Sept 22, 2014.
Registration Instructions
1) Go Encounters With Canada (ewc-rdc.ca) and click the “Register Now” tab which is located under EWC
logo on our home page.
2) Located at the bottom left hand side, you will see a section which indicates “Register TODAY!” Type in the
access code for your province (see list below). NOTE: Be sure to select the 2014-2015 year and your
preferred language.
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Province
Access Code
Alberta
AB99 S007
British Columbia
BC99 S007
Manitoba
MB99 S007
New Brunswick
NB99 S007
Newfoundland
NL99 S007
Northwest Territories
NT99 S007
Nova Scotia
NS99 S007
Nunavut
NU99 S007
Ontario
ON00 S007
Prince Edward Island
PE99 S007
Quebec
QC00 S007
Saskatchewan
SK99 S007
Yukon
YT99 S007
3) Fill out the requested personal information. Please be sure to fill in all fields.
4) Print the “Authorization and Payment Form” (5 pages).
5) Authorization must be provided by parent or guardian AND a school representative. Failure to include
these will result in delays processing registration.
6) Regarding the payment of fees: Please indicate that fees will be paid by the Mental Health Commission
of Canada.
7) Signed and completed forms can be submitted via email: ewc_registrarregistraire_rdc@HistoricaCanada.ca
Or hardcopies can be mailed to:
Attn: Recruitment
Encounters with Canada
1805 Gaspé Avenue
Ottawa, ON K1K 0A4
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8) Once the application has been received in Ottawa, a confirmation email will follow. Shortly thereafter,
another confirmation email will be sent with your travel information.
9) Check your ticket and departure on the indicated date and time to live the experience of a lifetime!
If you have any questions regarding the registration process, please do not
hesitate to contact the Encounters with Canada Recruitment team at 1-800-3610419 ext. 9514 or 9515.
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