Impact Society seeks to support youth and their caregivers in mental health and resiliency. Developing best practice, evidence based, research proven programs that elevate youth mental health is one of the main, and largest, ways Impact Society aids youth. These programs elevate youth mental health, giving them, caregivers, education workers, and social workers the tools and building blocks for strength-based identity formation.
Chris Primeau, CEO of Impact Society, details the Heroes Are Warriors program and Impact Society’s decision to work with the Community Foundation of Northwestern Alberta.
As a past behavior science student himself, Chris wished to see connection and experiential programing help youth resilience and give them the ability to “dream bigger and better”. To work with Impact Society gave him access to strengthening and working with and within these programs and philanthropic actions. Partnering with the Community Foundation was a choice influenced by this want to help communities that were underserved and within a part of Alberta with limited access. Working full-time at Impact Society, Chris has helped diversify the fundraising portfolio and strengthening their programs, such as Heroes Are Warriors.
Heroes Are Warriors is a program that seeks to train and equip those who are passionate and already have youth in their world. Going into the First Nations communities of Sturgeon Lake and Kapawe’no, Impact Society worked with youth leaders and the education system to give programs and training of strength, resiliency, and support to both youth and educators.
Both principal Julien Morizio and youth worker Amos Badger were affected by and trained through this program, continuing to work with and implement today. Now retired CEO and Founder of Impact Society Jack Toth continues to mentor Amos while Julien Morizio wishes to bring Heroes 2 (the follow-up program to Heroes Are Warriors) into his school this school year. The dedication and support this program received allows Impact Society to continue to grow this program, and to continue to ensure that this program is still available to all students, no matter what age or situation.
Moving forwards past the Heroes Are Warriors program, Impact Society continues to run their Back to School Campaign, where people can support a youth in their own and other communities for $45 a student. With over 7,000 students supported in 2021, the Society expects around 12,000 youth to be supported this year. In addition to this campaign, the Society is working with Indigenous education researchers at the University of Calgary to develop a reconciliation social studies program to be implemented in Alberta high schools, seeking to educate both Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth and reconciliation. More information on these programs and Impact Society can be found on their website.
