Join the walk of pledge a local walker and help children in your own community today! To join, make a donation or find a pledge form, CLICK HERE!
The Walk so Kids Can Talk presented by BMO (#BeAHero) is a fun and inspirational 5K walk where thousands of kids, adults, families, schools, community organizations, and corporations across Canada join together to support kids’ potential by raising funds for Kids Help Phone. It’s a terrific way to build community and enjoy a great experience outdoors while supporting an important cause: young people’s well-being.
The Walk provides help and hope to kids everywhere, sending them the message that we walk together to make our world a more supportive place for them.
Held on the first Sunday in May since 2002, the Walk is Canada’s largest for child and youth mental health and well-being and kicks off Mental Health Week in Canada each year. The Walk is Kids Help Phone’s largest fundraising event of the year and raises a significant portion of the revenue needed to keep Kids Help Phone’s day and night counselling service available.
For more information about the event itself, see our Event Day or Locations pages.
Why Walk?
Six great reasons to support the Walk so Kids Can Talk presented by BMO
- Supporters in the Walk share the belief that all young people deserve the chance to reach their full potential.
- Being “always there” for young people is a promise Kids Help Phone can make only with our donors’ commitment to ensuring our service’s availability.
- The Walk is a great way for communities across Canada to provide help and hope to kids everywhere, sending them the message that we walk together to make our world a more supportive place for them.
- The Walk benefits the 6.5 million kids, teens, and young adults in Canada between the ages of five and 20,* ensuring they have continued access to a trusted source of immediate, non-judgemental, anonymous, and professional counselling support through Kids Help Phone.
- Kids Help Phone receives no guaranteed ongoing financial support from government or any large funder.
- 100% of the money raised in the Walk goes toward ensuring Kids Help Phone can continue to provide its day and night counselling service to young people in communities across Canada.
About Kids Help Phone
Kids Help Phone is a free, anonymous and professional counselling service supporting the mental and emotional well-being of the 6.5 million kids across Canada ages five to 20.*
Big or small concerns, 24/7, 365 days a year, Kids Help Phone is a lifeline, available whenever, wherever, and however kids need it most, whether they have questions about dating or friendships, are experiencing school stress, are dealing with pressure, or are coping with a mental health concern such as anxiety or depression. No matter the question, Kid Help Phone is there – always. Research shows that Kids Help Phone’s world-leading service is highly effective, significantly improving youth mental health.
How we help kids
Kids Help Phone’s professional counsellors use a strengths-focused, non-judgemental approach. We believe all young people have a right to be heard and to decide for themselves their unique course of action. Our counsellors don’t try to solve kids’ problems for them. Their job is to listen without judging, no matter how serious the problem; to help kids look at an issue from different angles; to discuss different ideas for a next step a young person could take; and to help kids develop the confidence to choose the approach that works best for them. We don’t just aim for kids to feel heard; we help them to come away from every chat, call, or online visit with something tangible, from new information to a realistic plan for what they want to do next.
Learning the skills to effectively respond to the stresses and challenges of everyday life is important for every young person. And by promoting the understanding that asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness, but a sign of strength, hopefulness and resourcefulness, Kids Help Phone helps to reduce stigma and encourage help-seeking in young people.
Kids Help Phone’s services include:
- Counselling by Live Chat, web post and phone.
- Award-winning websites that offer counselling forums, therapeutic tools, and information on topics of interest to young people.
- The Always There app, which connects young people to counselling and tips and tools to encourage resilience.
- A national database of 46,000 programs and services (such as counselling centres, shelters, child protection agencies, law enforcement, and more) to connect young people to on-the-ground support in their communities.
Kids Help Phone supports parents and educators by:
- Being an adjunct to mental health services in the school system and community, and being there for young people who are on waiting lists for mental health services, in-between appointments, or at a point of crisis.
- Offering adult tip sheets and critical issues reports, and support during special campaigns, such as Bullying Awareness Week.
- Offering a high-quality service that adults can refer children to – or explore together – and that young people can refer to their friends.
- Offering free collateral materials (posters, wallet cards, brochures) to schools and youth-focused organizations.
More about us:
- Visit Kids Help Phone’s website, or our sites for Kids or Teens
- Read our latest annual report, Caring for the Future
Visit us on social media:
- kidshelpphone.ca/youtube
- kidshelpphone.ca/facebook
- kidshelpphone.ca/twitter
- kidshelpphone.ca/pinterest