Grants Awarded for Community Addictions Prevention and Mental Health Promotion
Press Release
February 28, 2025
The Department of Health and Community Services has awarded 34 recipients with the 2024-25 Community Addictions Prevention and Mental Health Promotion Grants.
Aligned with recommendations of Health Accord NL, these grants provide funding of up to $10,000 to support eligible individuals, schools and community groups and organizations with initiatives that foster positive mental health and well-being and prevention of substance use and addictions.
Grant funding of more than $202,000 was awarded this year to successful applications that supported one or more priority areas of Our Path to Resilience and the Alcohol Action Plan. These include:
- Reducing harms and costs related to alcohol use, promoting safe alcohol consumption and training on prevention and treatment of alcohol related harms.
- Promoting life and preventing suicide through stigma reduction, public education and awareness and initiatives that build a sense of purpose belonging and hope.
- Collaborations between community organizations, individuals and health professionals to promote positive mental health and resilience.
More information on award recipients can be found in the backgrounder below.
Funded by the Provincial Government, the grant program is administered in partnership with the NL Health Services which has dedicated mental health and addictions prevention and promotion consultants to work with the applicants.
More information on the Community Addictions Prevention and Mental Health Promotion Grants Program is available here.
Quotes
“Congratulations to this year’s recipients of the Community Addictions Prevention and Mental Health Promotion grants. Our government recognizes the tremendous impact of community-driven initiatives that foster good mental health and provide vital supports for individuals and families experiencing substance use challenges. These grants support a wide range of engaging and innovative initiatives throughout our province which help ensure improved mental health and well-being for all our residents.”
Honourable John G. Abbott
Minister of Mental Health and Addictions
“We greatly appreciate the support from the Community Addictions Prevention Mental Health Promotion grant, which enables us to enhance our Drug Education Centred on Youth Decision Empowerment (DECYDE) strategy and create alcohol-focused educational resources for youth. This funding further strengthens our ability to collaborate with educators, families, youth, and community partners and create engaging, impactful learning materials that will be freely accessible through our website at www.DECYDE.ca”
Lisa Bishop
DECYDE Project
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Mental Health and Addictions Services
BACKGROUNDER
2024-25 Community Addictions Prevention and Mental Health Promotion Grants Recipients
|
Applicant |
Project | Amount |
| Brigus Seniors Wellness Group – Stephanie Drover | Improving social, emotional, and physical health of seniors by providing opportunities to spend time together through physical and social activities, outings, and presentations.
|
$6,000 |
| Lisa Bishop | DECYDE: Empowering Youth for Safer Alcohol Choices – Reducing alcohol-related harms through education and prevention. | $10,000 |
| Schizophrenia Society of NL | Provincial Schizophrenia Snapshot aims to engage in capturing a “snapshot” of the diverse experiences surrounding schizophrenia. |
$10,000 |
| Main Street Youth Centre Grand Bank | Promoting mental health and well-being by bringing teens together to learn skills of coping and resilience building through activities that interest and engage them. | $4,100 |
| Lonely Man Project | Developing inclusive, targeted education materials for public awareness initiatives aimed at men and boys’ mental health promotion and suicide prevention. | $9,542 |
| Clarenville and area 50+ Club – Keith Tuckwell | Seniors Wellness and Connection Series: offer monthly in-person events designed to enhance the mental well-being, social engagement, and overall health of seniors. | $8,500 |
| Salmonier South 50+ Club – Lucille Gambin | Community Wellness and Engagement Program to enhance quality of life and mental wellness and reduce social isolation for older adults living in St. Joseph’s/St Mary’s region. | $8,500 |
| Gerry Phelan | The Pen Newsletter: a publication where inmates at Her Majesty’s Penitentiary publish art, poetry, articles, and editorials alongside pertinent news and education for inmates, increasing creative outlets and visibility for incarcerated individuals. | $1,500 |
| U-Turn | Community Healing Together by Awareness and Wellness: geared towards raising awareness and providing education around substance use disorder, alcoholism, mental wellness, suicide prevention and harm reduction. | $7,150 |
| Trans Youth NL | Strengthening Peer Support, Connection, and Belonging for Trans, Two-Spirit, and Gender Diverse Children, Youth, and Families: guided peer support groups, and social activities. | $6,600 |
| Seniors Resource Centre – Kimberley Leonard | Develop a one-day workshop to provide education on best-practices to enhance mental wellness, reduce isolation, and access supports to be delivered to seniors. | $7,000 |
| Humyra Jamal | Bienvenue le bien-être/Welcome Wellness: aims to address the mental health needs of French-speaking immigrants and refugees in the St. John’s metropolitan area. | $9,500 |
| Guardians of Recovery | Support programs and the Recovery Magazine, a publication that aims to share stories of recovery and resilience. Support programs (in-person and virtual) include group discussions, workshops, and peer support. | $2,300 |
| Grand Falls-Windsor Community Garden Greenhouse | Aims to extend its growing season by building a greenhouse where community members of all ages can come together to grow, and harvest produce and support year-round socialization. | $6,329 |
| New World Island Academy | Small, park-like area on K-12 school grounds with picnic tables, benches, bird house, feeders, and baths, flowers and plants, allowing students and community members an outdoor area to relax and socialize. | $7,281 |
| Green Bay Community Youth Network | This intergenerational project aims to bring together youth, ages 12-18 years, and seniors for cooking classes, during which seniors will teach cooking skills to youth, giving them a sense of purpose and reducing isolation and loneliness. | $3,756 |
| Dover Family Community Coalition | Grief Kits will be developed and provided to families in the area who are grieving a loss. | $1,800 |
| Youth 2000 Centre Corp (Y2C) | Wellness Amongst Us: Weekly events that promote mental wellness and physical well-being through social activities. | $9,530 |
| Ray of Hope Association Inc. | Host a community event to increase awareness about the organization and provide information that aims to reduce illness, injuries and death associated with substance use disorder and support families/communities affected. | $2,500 |
| Twillingate Island Elementary | Sensory Sanctuary: An outdoors sensory playground that provides a safe, inclusive space for all students and caters to the needs of students who face challenges due to exceptionalities and/or mental health disorders. | $8,376 |
| Bonne Bay Academy | Outdoor Classroom Seating and Wellness Area: This space will provide an engaging, flexible space for learning and activities for K-12 students, which caters to a range of learning styles, grade-specific curricula, and developmental needs. | $1,550 |
| Community Education Network CYN Southwestern | The Decider Youth Cooperative Learning – bringing youth together to provide, evidence-based skills training.
|
$4,000 |
| Flat Bay Indian Band | Tajik’ek Mental Health and Addictions Hub: aims to promote culturally relevant supports, mentor program, live sessions and webinars.
|
$5,000 |
| Organization for Community Action Committee Initiatives | Parents Mental Health and Wellbeing Mini-Conference: topics include self-esteem, coping with stress, promoting life, and preventing suicide, safe partying and mindful meditation. | $1,000 |
| Jakeman All Grade | From Awareness to Action: Mental Health and Addiction Prevention: Initiatives that reduce alcohol-related harms, promote mental wellness, foster positive relationships between students, parents, and families, and provide recreational activities that build resilience and encourage healthy lifestyle choices. | $3,000 |
| Pasadena Academy | Support Safe Talk training for staff and high school students as well as a Positive Health Promotion Wellness Day for all students. | $2,704 |
| Rec House Community Youth Network | Youth Voices, Healthy Choices Teams to support ongoing programming in four schools, creating opportunities for youth to become involved as peer-leaders in their school in the promotion of healthy decision making. | $5,859 |
| Under the Stump – Trina Reid | Together We Thrive: intergenerational programs that aim to foster connections between generations, enabling knowledge sharing and mutual support. | $7,000 |
| Kayla MacDonald | Mind-Body-Soul: Kids mindfulness, yoga, deep stretch, fitness, meditation classes, mindset coaching, relaxation therapy, hypnotherapy, community get-togethers and alcohol-free events. | $6,000 |
| NLHS – Tasha Marshall | Circle of Care: Indigenous Collaboration Mental Health Project: In partnership with the Happy Valley-Goose Bay Friendship Centre and local Indigenous groups, Circle of Care focuses on fostering mental health and resilience by offering culturally meaningful engagement for Indigenous people. | ; $10,000 |
| Labrador Friendship Centre | Mindfulness on the Land: provides an opportunity for people to connect with the land, think and talk about their thoughts, emotions and situations through an 8-week mindfulness course, held outside in a Labrador tent. | $6,325 |
| Southern Labrador/Strait of Belle Isle Community Youth Network | Youth Mental Health Retreat – Unplug and Rejuvenate: travel with youth from the region to Battle Harbour, Labrador, a restored fishing village that embraces relaxation, peace, tranquility, limited connectivity allowing youth to unplug and rejuvenate. | $5,000 |
| St. Barbe Development Association – Community Youth Network | Promoting Positivity and Inclusion: provide information, activities and events for children, youth and their families focusing on positive mental health. | $5,000 |
| Labrador Correctional Centre | Reducing the rate of recidivism by helping men through education and programming to support positive coping skills and address individual concerns, such as sober living, harm reduction, suicide prevention and overall improved health. | $10,000 |
| Total Funding Awarded | $202,702 |
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