Mental health social enterprise, You Are Collective, and local childcare society, Childhood Connections, have partnered to create an impactful new collection in support of free child therapy.
The ‘Playful Healing’ Collection, inspired by the zones of regulation, helps to open the conversation and intentionally remove barriers when it comes to talking about our mental health experiences. Normalizing having feelings and emotions is important at any age, at any level, and in any environment.
The zones of regulation (Blue, Green, Yellow, and Red) provide an easy way for individuals, especially children, to identify their emotions and learn how to manage their actions and reactions. This is a curriculum many young children are beginning to learn and relate to. The collection boasts youth and adult tees, recycled plastic frisbees, and eco-friendly water bottles with designs that provide a relevant resource and tool for communicating about our mental health.
Proceeds from this collection will help to fund Childhood Connection’s new Playful Healing program, providing free child therapy services to those in need.
“We have always worked within our community to fill gaps in early years services. We noticed an increase in childhood struggles with mental health and families who could not afford the services for their children,” said Childhood Connections.
“Playful Healing was designed to support children who are struggling in their day to day life with feelings of worry, uncertainty, isolation, and unhappiness by providing free, one-to-one therapy, to families who are unable to afford expensive therapy.”
READ MORE: Remote learning option poses potential risk for Central Okanagan students
You Are Collective Co-founder, Rebecca Steinhubl, said seeing this collection come to life really hit home.
“Once I saw the design on our first ever youth model, I started sobbing. To me it’s saying there’s one more little girl out there who knows it’s okay to have feelings and it’s okay to talk about them,” said Steinhubl.
Steinhubl said she hopes to see the collection around schools, businesses, and the community to further keep the conversation going.
“For us, it’s about creating a world with no stigmas and right now this is our vehicle to get there.”
You can purchase any items from The ‘Playful Healing’ Collection by heading to www.youarecollective.ca with a free local pick-up option in the Okanagan.
READ MORE: Community radio gets approval in Okanagan Valley