“Nothing for us without us”: That's what I've heard right across this country.
I'm the vice-chair of the Prime Minister's youth council and, might I say, the council doesn't mince words. Mental health has been the priority and is the priority. There was a state of the youth report as well that puts that squarely as the top priority for young people, women and girls across this country.
When we look at what we need to do, it's important not to start when young women and girls are 14, 15 and 16 years old. It's also important—and I hear this from the youth council and young people I speak to across this country—to include men and boys. An elder told me a while ago that an eagle cannot fly with one wing. She was talking about gender-based violence and including boys and men as well as young women and girls.
I want to highlight right now how important it is to have programs and services that address gender-based violence and mental health at a young age, not just for young women but for boys and for men.
I was in Nova Scotia last week, and there is an organization called Guys Work. It's grade 6 to 12 in schools right across Nova Scotia. They do excellent work. Here's what I was hearing from the boys who attend in grade 6: “This is a safe space. I can be who I am.” They talk about masculinity, what it means, how to help and how to engage with girls and young women. It's amazing. You cannot have one without the other: “nothing for us without us”.