Village Strong: Building Resilience in Youth
Village Strong is a new initiative from the Child & Youth Advocacy Centre Simcoe Muskoka designed to support boys and their caregivers. Over two years, the project will deliver workshops and activities that build resilience, teach healthy relationship skills, strengthen digital literacy, and foster confidence. Caregivers will take part alongside youth, gaining tools to better support and connect with them.
Together, boys and caregivers will learn, grow, and build stronger family and community bonds. By investing early, Village Strong helps prevent harm and creates safer, healthier futures for young people across Simcoe Muskoka.
Boys and their caregivers in Simcoe Muskoka face significant gaps in prevention education and early mental wellness supports. While services exist for children already in crisis, there are few opportunities that focus on building resilience before harm occurs. Caregivers often feel unequipped to guide boys through challenges like healthy relationships, digital safety, peer pressure, and emotional regulation.
Village Strong addresses this gap by providing early, community-based support that strengthens protective factors for both youth and families. By engaging boys alongside their caregivers, the program helps break cycles of isolation, reduces stigma around seeking help, and promotes stronger family and community bonds.
This investment is critical in our region, where youth mental health needs are rising and waitlists for specialized services are long. By offering accessible, practical, and prevention-focused programming, Village Strong will help ensure our community’s young people grow up safer, healthier, and more resilient.
support
Your voice matters. Show your support for submitted projects by leaving a comment, sharing your story or photo, or posting to social media. Every bit of encouragement helps communities grow stronger together.
What an amazing program! It’s no nice to have this service gap addressed. The positive impact Village Strong will have is immeasurable.
Providing boys and their caregivers with support and resources before crisis is an incredible way to create healthier communities!