“It all comes down to improved wellness.”

Those were the words of Education Minister Doug Graham at a press conference held this morning in Whitehorse.

It was announced that a partnership between the Yukon government, Northwestel Inc. and the Bell Let’s Talk initiative for mental health services will see $500,000 to launch the FRIENDS program.

That initiative will be aimed at school-age children and youth throughout the Yukon.

The territory is contributing $250,000.

The remaining $250,000 will come from Bell Let’s Talk initiative and Northwestel. (It’s money that was part of the funding Bell and Northwestel committed to in 2014 for mental health resources across the North.)

The money will be for the group-based program that aims to help children learn how to deal with anxiety and other issues.

As Graham noted, the program will help children improve their learning skills to help them reach their full potential, and contribute to their community involvement.

The program will be run under the Department of Health and Social Services.

Health Minister Mike Nixon noted the education system will have significant involvement in identifying role models who may be involved, and, once the program is up and running, children who could benefit from FRIENDS.

“They know the kids,” Nixon said.

The program uses cognitive behavioural techniques and works to build emotional resilience, helping to prevent anxiety and depression.

Developed in Australia, it has been used throughout the world, including in B.C. schools.

Nixon noted there will be tweaks to adapt it for the territory.

The World Health Organization has described the approach the program takes as being effective in preventing anxiety disorders.

Nixon could not say exactly when the eight- to 10-week sessions might begin to be offered to children in the territory. The first step will be in hiring a co-ordinator to oversee the program.

The co-ordinator may have to travel Outside for some training, he said.

After the hiring and training of a co-ordinator, work would be done to find facilitators in communities throughout the territory. Facilitators will be provided with training for their roles as well.

The territory, he said, will be working with communities, including schools and the like, to find positive role models who may be interested in being part of the program.

As it’s noted in a statement: “FRIENDS program facilitators will be trained to work collaboratively with community service providers, including First Nations providers, to enhance supports available to youth as part of a continuum of care services.”

Once underway, the FRIENDS program works to provide children and youth in understanding and recognizing feelings in self and others, facing challenges, learning to relax and self-regulate, recognizing helpful and unhelpful thoughts, learning from role models, building support teams, and solving problems and resolving conflict.

“Given the urgent need for more child and youth mental health support and services in Canada’s North, Bell Let’s Talk is very proud to support the launch of FRIENDS in Yukon,” said Mary Deacon, who chairs the Let’s Talk initiative and was in Whitehorse today.

“We believe innovative programs like FRIENDS can make a real difference for people in remote and isolated communities with limited resources.”

Northwestel president Paul Flaherty echoed those sentiments, stating: “The FRIENDS program is an important initiative that will help our young people develop the tools they need to manage their mental health and to lead healthy lives today and well into the future.”

As Nixon told reporters after the press conference, it’s anticipated that by intervening early with programs like FRIENDS, children and youth will learn to manage anxiety and other mental health issues with tools they can continue to use as adults.

While the territory is continuing to move forward with its mental health strategy, Nixon said the FRIENDS program is not directly tied to it, but rather another tool to help Yukoners.

Nixon would not commit to a firm date on when the strategy will be done.

He stressed the need for “due diligence” on it, but noted he hopes it might come forward in the spring.

Bell and Northwestel also used this morning’s press conference as an opportunity to promote Bell’s Let’s Talk day, set for Jan. 27.

The annual initiative sees Bell donate five cents to mental health initiatives, such as the FRIENDS program, on that day for every text message sent, mobile and long distance calls made, Tweets using BellLetsTalk and shares of the Facebook image for the initiative.