About
Who are we?
We are a community-focused youth initiative led by United Way of Calgary and Area. Together with local partners, we utilize research-backed data to help better support our city’s young people.
Creating the best places to grow up in.
A better city for youth requires an all-hands-on-deck approach. Planet Youth brings together parents, caregivers, researchers, agencies, school boards, government and community organizers to help shape positive social environments for young people, reducing substance use and improving well-being and general life outcomes.
Evidence
Research is an essential tool for creating effective change. The Planet Youth model is designed to collect valuable data from local youth and mobilize resources to respond appropriately to their needs.
Community
Planet Youth is a prevention model that acts on the population as a whole, rather than just the individual. Working at the neighbourhood level to help build healthy community environments is therefore essential.
Dialogue
Communication is key. We facilitate ongoing dialogue between researchers, key community participants and stakeholders, to allow for reflection and continual refinement throughout the process.
A solution that fits the problem.
The Planet Youth model is unique in its adaptability to local contexts. It’s not a one-size-fits-all program, but a flexible strategy for utilizing existing community strengths for improving positive social engagement among youth. Some of the made-in-Calgary features of the project include:
- Local data utilized to support the needs of Calgary youth
- Based in four pilot communities
- A first-of-its-kind Indigenous Parallel approach
Icelandic beginnings, new horizons.
After the remarkable success in Iceland, Planet Youth was created to bring the model to the rest of the world, proving highly adaptable to other cities in their own struggles with youth substance misuse and mental health. Seeking to tackle the similar issues in Calgary, The United Way of Calgary and Area took the lead as a convener, engaging Planet Youth to bring the initiative to the city, starting with four key pilot communities.
The Planet Youth model starts with a key insight: Youth behaviour is a reflection of the social environment.
Creating social environments where young people can thrive starts with truly listening to them—ensuring they feel heard, valued and respected. This is where the Planet Youth Survey comes in. Beginning in the Fall of 2024, we launched our first survey to lay the groundwork for collaborative strategies that better support young people’s mental well-being. The survey helps identify risk and protective factors for substance use. By working closely with community partners, we can then use these insights to develop solutions tailored to the unique needs and strengths of our city.
Ultimately, we envision a future where Calgary’s communities come together to support young people—helping them grow up happy, healthy and deeply connected to their families, schools and neighbourhoods. It is, in short, a future where all youth can truly belong.
In partnerships we thrive.
From inception to implementation and results, our initiative is made possible by partnership. Because supporting the well-being and resilience of our city’s youth is a total community effort.
Collaboration partners
- Between Friends
- Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada
- Canadian Mental Health Association Calgary
- Calgary Police Youth Foundation
- Calgary Public Library
- Centre for Sexuality
- Impact Society
- Recovery Alberta
- The Calgary Bridge Foundation for Youth
- The City of Calgary
