Thank you. Those are both great questions.
I'll start with your second one first. Asking where youth can go is a great question. Like I said, sometimes youth have to make exceptions and have to stay in friend groups or in different kinds of relationships that don't feel supportive to them, so their options are limited. I also think that our communities do turn to online a lot of the time. That's a really important place for our communities.
There's also, as we all know, a lot of misinformation and disinformation happening online. Social media algorithms contribute to a lot of dangerous trends and can really impact mental health. It's not a pretty picture, I guess I would say. More funding and more spaces are needed. The spaces that exist need to train people so that they can be more supportive, welcoming and inclusive.
As for what I want to say to parents, there's a lot that I want to say. I think, for now, I will say that I can understand parents feeling afraid. I can understand parents feeling confused. What I've heard in previous conversations at this committee is that we want to open a dialogue, if this is about helping people to understand.
When things are presented in an extreme way, with very little facts and information, it can feel very different, new and scary for parents. Give your children the opportunity to speak for themselves. Offer your understanding and empathy, and also be open to learning for yourself. These are still the same children and young people you've always known and who have been in your life. They need the support to say who they are, to speak up and to be themselves. Without that room, very dangerous things can happen, as we've seen. Without a supportive home space, there are higher numbers of youth in homelessness and engaged in substance use and abusive relationships and all kinds of things, because people are looking for a place to go. As I mentioned earlier, there aren't very many options.
I would ask parents to come to the table with an open mind and some empathy. Hopefully I, and other organizations that do this kind of work, can help with some of that information and can help create dialogue.
Thank you.