The ASI 2022 Forum will be held as a hybrid event from August 22-24 in Charlottetown, PEI, streaming from the unceded ancestral territory of the Mi’kmaq people. Materials in French and simultaneous interpretation will be available for many presentations. A Youth Leadership Program will also be offered. Be part of a movement that brings together people who are capable of influencing and implementing changes at the policy and community levels! ASI 2022 aims to increase understanding of the importance of infant, child and youth mental health for the whole of society, and foster policy actions to influence upstream investment in support of mental health. 

As we plan for ASI 2022, we are all looking forward to coming together again in Charlottetown, PEI.  We’ve learned a lot over the past two years through the pandemic and in the course of our work on the ASI Policy Brief, “Investing Upstream”; we know that:

• Communities matter
• Relationships matter
• Connections matter

The theme for ASI 2022 will be Together Again: Regenerating the Power of Connection.

ASI 2022 aims to bring people together to:

• Enhance our understanding of the importance of connections – with family, community, place, and nature – for the mental health of infants, children, youth and societal well-being;
• Develop knowledge and skills;
• Explore progress on policy actions;
• Build an action agenda; and
• Model a supportive and inclusive environment for learning and wellbeing.

We will build on our work to date, taking a whole of government, whole of society and whole of community approach to mental health promotion for children and youth. We have learned about the importance of inter-sectoral and multi-stakeholder action to address societal inequities. We have recognized the need for more coordinated and strategic planning within and between sectors – information sharing, asset mapping, and collaborative planning – to build the linkages and capacity we need to achieve positive outcomes for mental wellbeing.

Valuing interdependence and community resilience, we know that we can face the challenges of our world – promoting mental health, beating the pandemic, reducing poverty and inequities, and tackling climate change. We need to build our networks and strengthen our connections – we are all in this together!

Together we can foster policy actions that influence upstream investment in promoting well-being, resilience, and regenerating connection throughout Atlantic Canada and beyond. Come and join us – in Charlottetown on the campus of Holland College or online – to celebrate what we have done and build relationships to face our collective future together!

Note: This work is validated by research from the World Health Organization (The Health in All Policies Framework for Country Action;The Geneva Charter for Well-being), the Chief Public Health Office of Canada (A Vision to Transform Canada’s Public Health System), the National Collaborating Centre for Public Health (Strengthening Community Connections), and work published in the Stanford Social Innovation Review (Centering Equity in Collective Impact).

Develop knowledge and skills for building resilience in ourselves, our communities, society
Share ideas and engage in dialogue, building on evidence and best practice
Collaborate and have fun with diverse participants
Learn from youth advocates passionate about mental health promotion
Expand your networks in Atlantic Canada and beyond