Are you looking to make an impact, engage in leadership and community-building and have fun, all while helping to empower youths in the mental health space?
The Step Above Stigma Community Program is for you!
What is it?
Previously known as our Chapters Program, the new and improved SAS Community Program is an initiative started to help involve more individuals and communities in the fight against mental health stigma.
In particular, our community program was designed based on 5 things young people need:
- The need to take power back and make an impact
- The need to be a part of a supportive and accepting community
- The need to be seen and heard
- The need to learn and share
- The need to have fun
For years, SAS has made great progress in growing our communities, primarily in schools; however, as the interest in our organization and mission grew, we wanted to make sure the communities were non-restrictive. Everyone deserves a community to belong to, no matter if they are part of a school, business or other institution that has groups built in.
The program is scalable across the country, so a SAS community can be established anywhere, whether that be at a high school, college, university, local community, within an organization or online; everyone can be a part of the fight against mental health stigma and enjoy the support that our communities bring!
Why Join?
The Community Program is built for those interested in joining or leading a group centred around youth and young adult mental health and empowerment with the support of Step Above Stigma.
Joining the SAS Community Program comes with lots of perks, including:
- Being a part of a community of people with an interest in mental health advocacy,
- Making a difference in the mental health of youths in your community,
- Gaining volunteer experience,
- Engage in exciting and empowering events and activities with SAS,
- Access to leadership and personal growth opportunities
- Meeting lots of new people from all walks of life,
- Having fun and making memories,
- And much more!
Become a Community Leader!
As we continue building out our program, we are looking for leaders who are creative and independent but love being a part of a strong team!
As a leader in our Community Program, you will lead:
Support Circles, otherwise known as Fireside Teas: This is when we learn, grow, and share.
Empowerment Labs: Our revolutionary mental health workshops, Empowerment Labs, are designed to help participants overcome the stigma surrounding mental health issues within a group setting, assess where they might need to focus more attention and gain the tools to start taking control of their own trajectory.
SAS Wide Events: Events that are hosted uniformly across all our chapters across Canada. They are designed to be fun and build community.
Original Events: Your opportunity to get creative and provide a unique offering to your community while also shining a light on youth mental health and making an impact. Our Communities have hosted events such as coffee house events, dodgeball tournaments, bake sales, and much more! The options are endless.
Socials and parties: It’s important to just have fun. So let’s bring people together. Get your SAS community together for a trivia night, a night out at a local bar, a dance class, a painting workshop, or whatever you’re feeling.
More details coming in early 2024.
Past SAS Communities
- Queen’s University Chapter
- University of Guelph Chapter
- Western University Chapter
- York University Chapter
