Connecting across sectors: Exploring the JoyPop app as an e-mental health solution to support youth in Northwestern Ontario

Given the challenges young people face accessing mental health services in Northwestern Ontario and the negative impact of prolonged wait times, our team has been evaluating the impact of a mobile mental health app (JoyPop) as a tool for Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth who are seeking mental health services. Our partners include the two largest youth mental health agencies in Northwestern Ontario. Our work to date positions the JoyPop app as a promising tool for supporting youth mental health, especially in underserviced areas like Northwestern Ontario. However, to have the greatest impact on youth in these areas, "scaling-out" evidence-based tools and interventions broadly across sectors is important. To work towards this goal, our planning activities will bring together patient/community partners, knowledge-users, and researchers to share perspectives on the mental health needs of local youth and the potential for e-mental health solutions (including the JoyPop app) to help address these needs. We will also present to and network with attendees at the Children's Mental Health Ontario conference to share and gather additional information about youth mental health needs, barriers to meeting needs across sectors, and possible e-mental health solutions. Finally, we will prepare for opportunities for integrating the JoyPop app into school settings by planning future implementation, evaluation, and funding proposals. Outcomes of our planning activities include co-creating visual storymaps of local needs and solutions to share broadly with stakeholders and refine based on the larger children's mental health landscape; using these storymaps and community partnerships to solidify next steps in implementing and evaluating the JoyPop app within school settings; and preparing and submitting an application (Spring 2024 CIHR Project Grant competition) to fund these next steps.