Being part of a group is what helps us feel connected and supported. Learning how to make and keep friends is a skill we need at every stage of our life.
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Tips & links
- Talk to your family about transition – how can they help you?
- Take the Youth Quiz – are you ON TRAC?
- Make a list of all the things that might change when you turn 18 or 19
- Ask your parents or guardians if anyone else in your family or a close friend lives with a CHC/D and has transitioned to adult care
- Conduct an interview with someone who has already transitioned. What did they like? What would they have done differently?
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TYZE
Activities
Tips & links
- Make a list of activities you might like to try – what are your passions and interests? Check with your family practitioner before starting new activities, just to be safe
- Look for a peer group that is made up of people who have a similar interests/health conditions
- Learn about how a group of youth with diabetes are making a difference for each other through
Young and T1
- Find resources and learn more about
peer support
- Connect through
youth resource centres
- Watch this TEDx Talk on a
philosophy for a happy life
Activities
Tips & links
- If you need to talk, call the Kids Help Phone at 1-800-668-6868, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Live chat is also available online from 7 p.m. to midnight ET
- Keep a journal about your thoughts and feelings. Write down if you are being bullied and share your experience with a trusted adult
- Learn
what to do if you are being bullied
- Learn to
recognize the signs of abuse, and how to stay safe
- Make a list of your favourite ways to make yourself feel good after negative experiences
Activities
Tips & links
- Learn about moods, anxiety and stress and how they affects your health at
foundrybc.ca
- Try these helpful
mindfulness exercises for youth from Anxiety Canada
- Learn more about
mindfulness with Kelty Mental Health Centre for Mindfulness
- Learn about
Mindshift – a free mobile app designed to help youth cope with anxiety
- Learn about
Developmental Disabilities Mental Health Services (operated by Fraser Health, serving residents of Vancouver Coastal and Fraser Health) - providing specialized community mental health services for youth 12 and over with co-existing developmental disabilities and a mental illness
Activities
- Find out about peer support through the
Kelty Mental Health Resource Centre
- Talk to your parents about going to a
camp (there are many camps especially for youth with health conditions, ask your clinic nurse for more information) – camps are a great place to make new friends, build leadership skills, and have fun!
- For example, the
Easter Seals Camp is especially for youth with physical and/or mental disabilities
- If your school or community doesn’t have a support group, you can try connecting online with other youth, or organizing your own group — your clinic nurse might have some ideas!
- Learn about how a group of youth with diabetes are making a difference for each other through
Young and T1
- Connect with others who have a similar chronic condition/ disability who have transitioned to adult care:
Tips & links
- Keep a journal, or get creative! Do you write, draw, or play music? Make a piece of art about your feelings, and maybe even share it with a trusted friend or your peer support group
- Feeling alone? Check out
resources for mental health from the Kelty Mental Health Resource Centre
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Just TRAC it!: Make a list of your feelings and questions about transition and take it to your next clinic visit – include the list in the Notes app on your phone
- Talk to your family physician about your transition
Activities
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