**NORTHERN COLLEGE NEWS RELEASE**

Northern College is pleased to announce a joint learning event with the Timmins Youth Wellness Hub.

The hub aims to be a youth lead initiative aimed at creating a safe, open space for sharing, learning and support for youth, by youth. Its goal is to teach young minds the coping mechanisms and support structures required to navigate the often perilous journey through adolescence.

“The Youth Wellness Hub project responds to requests for youth to be able to access support and services,” stated project coordinator Anne Vincent. “Including counselling and peer mentorship, after school, in the evenings and on weekends in youth-led spaces where they feel safe, comfortable and welcome.”

As the group behind the hub prepares for an official launch later this month, they’ll be meeting with College staff September 15 to undertake mental health training, giving members the tools they’ll need to properly offer assistance to those in need.

“The training focuses on Recognizing, Responding & Referring with regard to mental health problems/illnesses. The basic set of tools and responsibilities set out by this training will help Connectors prepare to: identify common problems if/should they arise, and know how to respond (and to which degree) to particular situations,” stated Nichole Roy, Northern College’s Mental Health Lead. “They will also get to know the available resources and services available in our community.”

This real world training will not only prepare Hub members for success in the future, it will also ensure they are offering the best advice and coping strategies to those they are advising.

Northern College is committed to encouraging and facilitating education, whether on campus or in the community.