Hyundai Canada will donate $500,000 to the Kids Help Phone over the next two years, the OEM announced in December.
The news is important as the funding will go toward a number of Kids Help Phone programs and initiatives dedicated to supporting Indigenous and Black youth, such as Finding Hope: Kids Help Phone’s Indigenous Youth Action Plan, and RiseUp powered by Kids Help Phone.
“Equity-seeking youth have a harder time accessing support for mental health,” said Jenny Yuen, VP of National Partnerships and Chief Youth Officer at Kids Help Phone. “Our goal is to create a continuum of barrier-free mental health supports to meet the unique needs of the communities we serve—anytime day or night.”
Kids Help Phone may be Canada’s only 24/7 e-mental health service available in English, French and Arabic. It offers free, confidential support, counselling, information and referrals to young people from all over the country.
Equity-seeking youth including Indigenous and Black youth are considered more at risk of experiencing mental health challenges, with 7.8 per cent of younger people that reached out to Kids Help Phone by text in 2021 identifying as Indigenous and 5.2 per cent identifying as Black.
“Driving the youth of today forward and championing equity to ensure a bright future for all is central to our mission at Hyundai,” said Kirk Merrett, Director of Human Resources and Administration at Hyundai Canada. “We are proud to be making this contribution to Kids Help Phone and humbled to be supporting their innovative and inclusive initiatives, which deliver such a crucial impact to young people across the country.”
The OEM’s donation will support Kids Help Phone’s Indigenous Youth Action Plan (which was developed alongside an Indigenous Advisory Council), and RiseUp (powered by Kids Help Phone), which is a national, 24/7, bilingual e-mental health support service for Black youth. It was built in collaboration with Black community partners and people from across the Afro-diaspora, according to the OEM.
