Foundry BC

We’re open, Tri-Cities! 💛

Proudly operated by SHARE Family & Community Services Society with multilingual staff, and supported by provincial funding to expand youth mental-health care across B.C.

Congratulations to the Foundry Research and Peer Support teams for this important new paper about peer support at Foundry! Learn more at https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ps.20240389

Please contact Skye Barbic if you experience any hiccups accessing the paper.

@ubcosot.bsky.social

Join us in congratulating Foundry's research team and community partners on securing CIHR funding for their community-engaged project, which adapts evidence-based strategies into practical, youth-focused guidance for providers in acute/community care settings. https://ow.ly/3ysh50Yhb7V

Our hearts are with those in the Tumbler Ridge community and folks impacted across the province with this recent tragedy. Foundry is here to support you. Whether you need to talk to someone or find resources, you’re not alone.

Visit https://foundrybc.ca/find-foundry-support-services/ to learn more

Gabby found confidence and support through Foundry’s free drop-in counselling sessions.

Watch her story: foundrybc.ca/10-years/

#Foundry10Years #YouthMentalHealth

More mental health support is coming for youth across B.C. 💙
Foundry centres are expanding to nearby communities, bringing care closer to home for youth 12–24 and their families.

Read more: https://foundrybc.ca/news-and-updates/expanding-services-for-youth/


#FoundryBC #YouthMentalHealth

Rylee, a youth peer support worker at Foundry, helps young people connect to care and culture.

Watch his story: foundrybc.ca/10-years/

#Foundry10Years #PeerSupport

Take a look inside Foundry Surrey Central, open since November and supporting youth 12–24 with free, confidential health and wellness services. With 19 centres open across BC and 16 more coming, more young people are getting care close to home.

Learn more at FoundryBC.ca @foundrybc.bsky.social

Keira, a Métis-Canadian youth, found healing and confidence through Foundry’s free peer and counselling support.

Watch her story: foundrybc.ca/10-years/

#Foundry10Years #IndigenousYouth

As a parent and caregiver, Stacey has seen Foundry’s services help young people talk openly about mental health and find support.

Watch her story: foundrybc.ca/10-years/

#Foundry10Years #YouthWellness

Rayne accessed free counselling, peer support, and gender-affirming care through Foundry and found a welcoming community.

Watch their story: foundrybc.ca/10-years/

#Foundry10Years #GenderCare

The Occupation of Youth Peer Support Workers Within an Integrated Youth Services Initiative - Community Mental Health Journal Youth peer support workers (YPSWs) use lived/living experience to provide support. However, there is a knowledge gap about service impact on YPSWs themselves. To understand (1) impact being a YPSW has on well-being, (2) experience of being a YPSW, and (3) barriers and facilitators of being a YPSW. Eighteen YPSWs at an integrated youth services (IYS) initiative in British Columbia, Canada, completed semi-structured interviews in fall 2023. Interviews were analysed thematically using an inductive approach. Themes were identified relating to the YPSW role extending beyond employment, providing...

Check out issue 6 of Findings for Foundry! 🔔 Co-created with youth and family, relevant and plain-language research infographics are developed to share with those who use or support Foundry services. Read the full article showcased below:

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-025-01498-1

#FoundryBC

Xiaoxu Ding, a recent PhD graduate, worked with Foundry Head Scientist @skyebarbic.bsky.social to understand how youth access services. They found it's important to offer virtual, in-person and hybrid options. Read the paper here: https://www.jahonline.org/article/S1054-139X(25)00419-7/fulltext

Danny found practical tools and support through Foundry’s Work and Education Program for youth.

Watch his story: https://foundrybc.ca/10-years/

#Foundry10Years #YouthSupport

For 10 years, Shahana has cared for youth through Foundry’s free and inclusive services. Her story shows how compassionate care can change lives.

Watch here: https://foundrybc.ca/10-years/

#Foundry10Years #YouthHealth

You can help transform youth health care in BC. A donation to Foundry means young people like Tiera get the support they need—when and where they need it.

Change a life today: foundrybc.ca/why-give-to-foundry/

Husain found the care he needed at Foundry, from free counselling to medical support. Learn more: https://foundrybc.ca/10-years/

#Foundry10Years #YouthHealth

Foundry researchers worked with a youth advisory group to ask 12–15-year-olds what good mental health really means. Their themes: handling life’s pressures, building strengths, and finding acceptance and community. Read more here: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10578-025-01926-z

Scott works with Thrive Social Services, which is helping to bring a Foundry centre to Sooke-Westshore. He believes youth and families deserve support that gives them hope.

Watch: https://foundrybc.ca/10-years/

#Foundry10Years #YouthSupport

📢 New study out! Exploring how stimulant use, psychosis, and antipsychotic treatment intersect among youth who use drugs — advancing equitable access to care and better interventions.

Read: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2025.118701

#Research #PublicHealth #HealthEquity #SocialScience

First in our 10 Years of Foundry series: real stories from youth and caregivers. Graduating from university was a bigger transition than Danielle anticipated. Through Foundry’s free counselling and peer groups, she found a life changing sense of community.

Watch: https://foundrybc.ca/10-years/

We’re excited to announce that Foundry Surrey Central is now open! 🎉

Join us in congratulating Pacific Community Resources Society (PCRS) and the many dedicated community partners who worked together to bring this centre to life.

https://foundrybc.ca/news-and-updates/foundry-surreycentral-opening/

Excited to share the following study about drug decriminalization implications for youth services providers, led by @ubcosot.bsky.social students, Dr. Skye Barbic and colleagues.

Read it here: https://harmreductionjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12954-025-01320-x

@advancinghealth.bsky.social
@ubcmedicine.bsky.social
@ubcosot.bsky.social

📢 New Publication Alert! CAMH researchers & Dr. Skye Barbic co-authored a new paper offering youth-informed recommendations for governments, policymakers & planners to improve public health responses in future emergencies. Read more: https://link.springer.com/article/10.17269/s41997-025-01109-2c

From community kitchens to vaccine clinics, these programs support some of the country’s most vulnerable people Across the country, public health initiatives are reaching underserved populations in creative, culturally informed ways

Read more about how Foundry is using innovative, culturally-sensitive tactics to support youth across the province.

#FoundryBC #YouthMentalHealth #TheGlobeAndMail @theglobeandmail.com

www.theglobeandmail.com/life/article...