Creation of the program
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At the time, major research by Brent, Shaffer and Marttunen had started to make the connection between depression and suicide. In a public notice in February 1997, the Conseil permanent de la jeunesse said that: “around 90% of teens and young adults who commit suicide are suffering from some form of mental illness, frequently depression.” (Conseil permanent de la jeunesse. Le suicide chez les jeunes : S.O.S. Jeunes en détresse !, notice, Quebec, February 1997, p. 28)
Before launching the school tour, and to meet the needs of the target market, the Partners for Life program was first run as a pilot project in 1998, during which the Foundation met over 15,000 teens. The pilot project was also the subject of an implementation study led by Dr. Richard Boyer, a research associate at the Centre de recherche Fernand-Seguin. Dr. Boyer is an authority on public health problems in Quebec, particularly mental health disorders, and more specifically, suicide. Very few programs of this type are scientifically evaluated, but the Foundation wanted to be sure its activities were well-founded. (For more information about this study, consult the document Main results of the de implementation study for the Partners for Life project (May 1999) in the Program News section.)
A second study conducted in 1999-2000 resulted in the conclusion that the presentations developed by the Foundation “increased the knowledge of teens about depression and changed their attitudes to allow them to consult the necessary resources.” (For more information about this study, consult the document Main results of the impact study conducted during the 1999-2000 school year in the Program News section.)
Major awareness-raising programs need serious financial support. A special campaign to finance this program has seen exceptional results. In 2001, the fundraising campaign for the Partners for Life tour presided over by Jocelyne Monty met and surpassed its objective of $3,000,000.
Knowing that depression also strikes teenagers—5% to 10% of them—and that the symptoms are different from those experienced by adults and often confused with “teenage angst,” the Foundation decided to play a critical role in the fight against suicide.
Before launching the school tour, and to meet the needs of the target market, the Partners for Life program was first run as a pilot project in 1998, during which the Foundation met over 15,000 teens. The pilot project was also the subject of an implementation study led by Dr. Richard Boyer, a research associate at the Centre de recherche Fernand-Seguin. Dr. Boyer is an authority on public health problems in Quebec, particularly mental health disorders, and more specifically, suicide. Very few programs of this type are scientifically evaluated, but the Foundation wanted to be sure its activities were well-founded. (For more information about this study, consult the document Main results of the de implementation study for the Partners for Life project (May 1999) in the Program News section.)
A second study conducted in 1999-2000 resulted in the conclusion that the presentations developed by the Foundation “increased the knowledge of teens about depression and changed their attitudes to allow them to consult the necessary resources.” (For more information about this study, consult the document Main results of the impact study conducted during the 1999-2000 school year in the Program News section.)
Major awareness-raising programs need serious financial support. A special campaign to finance this program has seen exceptional results. In 2001, the fundraising campaign for the Partners for Life tour presided over by Jocelyne Monty met and surpassed its objective of $3,000,000.