Kids Help Phone begins Aboriginal youth poster campaign
By Adnews Staff
Kids Help Phone has begun a poster campaign for the back-to-school season using the tagline, "You're not alone." The two executions are part of an effort by the youth councelling organization to increase its sensitivity to Aboriginal youth communities. Various poster designs were submitted by Aboriginal youth, with public online voting determining the winners. One poster depicts a young woman alone on a road with a phone in her hand. The other depicts a smudge bowl, which is a ceremonial cleansing tool. "We went to the experts themselves, the kids, to deepen our understanding of what Aboriginal youth are facing and to learn how to keep Kids Help Phone's services relevant," said Todd Solomon, the organization's clinical director of English language services. "While all young people experience feelings of frustration, sadness, worry, and uncertainty as they grow up, for many Aboriginal youth, these feelings are compounded by isolation, displacement, or unequal access to education. In many communities, Kids Help Phone may be the only anonymous service available to them."