Alberta is investing $2 million this year to support 14 community-based projects aimed at reducing youth suicide across the province. The grants fund work with community organizations, including United Way, to provide local supports tailored to the young people they serve.

The Alberta Capital Region United Way’s All in for Youth program offers school-based mentoring, mental health services, academic support and family resources to students from Kindergarten to Grade 12. More than 3,270 youths have accessed services and programming supported by the Youth Suicide Prevention Grant.

“We see investing in kids and youth time and time again produces better outcomes, and we know that targeted investments like this one related to suicide prevention are really important,” said Rob Yager, president and CEO of the Alberta Capital Region United Way.

Tim Adams, executive director of Free Play for Kids, said young people face pressures from phone use and uncertainty about the future. “It’s a tough time for kids with the pressures they face from the phone to not knowing what the future is like when there is so much instability in the universe,” Adams said.

Alberta’s overall suicide rate is about 14 per 100,000 people, above the national average. The province’s rate among Indigenous youth is five to six times higher than among non-Indigenous youth. Between 63 and 67 per cent of LGBTQ2S+ youth aged 14 to 25 in Alberta have reported thoughts of suicide.

The source report did not list the organizations awarded grants beyond its reference to United Way.

Based on reporting by CTV News Edmonton.