Why Does DIVERT Mental Health Need Partners?

To divert the mental health system, the DIVERT Mental Health research training platform cannot stay within the confines of any one university or even universities as a whole. We need learners and teachers from different sectors to teach us and to learn with us for true change to occur.


Why partner with us?

  • You have learners and mentees

    We will be building an innovative online community that allows people from diverse backgrounds and disciplines to come together to learn how to make mental health care for children, youth, and families more inclusive and accessible. Mentorship matching based on lived experiences and interests will connect learners across the country. These learning opportunities will be offered free of charge to registered members.
  • You have teachers and mentors

    Harnessing the expertise across universities, industries, mental health care organizations and both governmental and non-governmental organizations is a key innovation of DIVERT Mental Health. Partner organizations are encouraged to co-create and/or suggest future learning opportunities for our community.
  • You have innovators

    We want to inspire new research partnerships between academic and non-academic sectors that push the boundaries of inclusive knowledges and innovative technologies. Join our community to not just learn but to meet people from different areas that can synergize with your organization’s research interests. Funds will be available for organizations to support DIVERT Fellows working on research projects with partners.
  • Your organization is a part of the mental health care system, and you want to support ways to make the system more inclusive and accessible

    We are evolving. Your organization may have ideas to support our mission. Reach out!

Partners

Spotlight on Founding Partners

IBM Canada

IBM is a hybrid cloud and artificial intelligence (AI) company, backed by over a century of business and systems innovation. IBMers are dedicated to building new ways to outthink challenges in a world where cognitive intelligence is infused into the systems and processes that drive business and society. Research and Development (R&D) is core to IBM. We have been innovating in Canada for over 100 years and are in Canada’s top ten investors in R&D. This enables IBM to support successful, impactful R&D collaborations that engage industry, academia and government and contribute to Canada’s future competitiveness and our society at large. IBM is pleased to support the DIVERT Mental Health initiative as an excellent example of this kind of research collaboration.

  • 360º Kids

    360°kids believes in homelessness prevention and that every young person deserves a safe place to call home. Operating since 1989, we provide a range of services to youth 16-26yrs including housing, employment, education and well-being to help youth transition from crisis to a stability. Our name 360°kids refers to the comprehensive approach taken to assisting youth and surrounding them with care. We are proud to partner with DIVERT Mental Health to offer frontline perspectives on at-risk youth mental health care and help build inclusive and accessible mental health practices to surround kids in crisis with appropriate care.

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  • Indigenous Friends Association

    The Indigenous Friends Association (IFA) is an Indigenous-led tech not-for-profit organization in Canada that bridges the gaps between Indigeneity and digital technologies through education, software development and research. The IFA’s vision is to work with Indigenous communities in training and supporting them in developing digital skills to help them access educational and employment opportunities in the tech sector. This factor will create a more inclusive tech industry that will allow us to bring other forms of knowledge to design more ethical and responsible digital technologies for everyone.

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  • Knowledge Institute on Child and Youth Mental Health and Addictions

    Since 2004, the Knowledge Institute has supported Ontario child and youth mental health agencies, communities and decisionmakers to help young people in Ontario develop in ways that expand their future opportunities and ensure lifelong mental health. Their work is anchored by two core goals: to mobilize knowledge and improve quality across the province’s child and youth mental health and addictions sector. In line with DIVERT’s goals, advancing equity and inclusion, and building service providers’ capacity to deliver culturally responsive care – by connecting them with the latest evidence and training opportunities – are key focus areas for the Knowledge Institute.

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  • Strong Minds Strong Kids Canada

    Strong Minds Strong Kids, Psychology Canada has decades of experience building capacity with the significant adults in a child’s life to support and promote their mental health. We are Canada’s most networked mental health and resilience-based organization offering primary prevention programs for close to 50 years. We have a history of developing and delivering psychology and evidence-based programs and resources that nurture resilience in children giving them a solid foundation of mental health before problems or issues begin. As a partner in DIVERT, our hope is that we can better serve the diverse communities in which we support.

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  • Strongest Families Institute

    Strongest Families Institute (SFI) is an award-winning charity grounded in twenty years of social science research. Our evidence-based, bilingual mental health services are available for children/youth, adults, and their families, when and where they need them. SFI began as a research program by the Centre for Research in Family Health at the IWK Health Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia with funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Our research within Canada and beyond shows that our skill-based programs are effective in addressing mental health conditions with lasting impacts. SFI’s scientifically proven distance services improve mental health and well-being by leveraging the advantages of best science, our highly skilled telephone coaches, and our innovative technology (IRIS). Our system and services have been co-designed; SFI engages regularly with adult and youth advisory committees to inform ongoing improvements. SFI hopes to bring these same evidence-informed research and practices to the DIVERT Mental Health program.

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