Take a Hike To The Interior

Thanks to the support of our generous community of donors, Take a Hike will be opening two new programs in the Interior region bringing life-changing supports to youth who need it most.

Our next regional hub is here! Thanks to the support of our generous community of donors, Take a Hike will be opening two new programs in the Interior region bringing life-changing supports to youth who need it most. The Interior region was chosen specifically as we saw unprecedented demand for Take a Hike as the youth mental health crisis has become more evident over the past years. Rates of suicide among young people in this region are nearly double the rate when compared to the rest of the province. Combined with the continuing effects from the pandemic, it is clear that Interior youth need mental health and well-being support now more than ever.

We understand that the supports youth have now will determine their resilience and ability to continue on a path towards social and academic success – with lasting impacts for their future.

And we are very excited to be partnering with the Vernon School District and the Central Okanagan School District to bring our program to each community.

A first for Take a Hike, the Central Okanagan program will be a pilot program to support younger youth in grades 8-9.

Early intervention and mental health supports are key in the growth of youth throughout their development in high school. This program will allow Take a Hike to support vulnerable youth who are starting an important chapter and guide them on the journey of their young lives.

The Central Okanagan and Vernon programs will join our existing programs in the West Kootenays, which will be celebrating 10 years of supporting vulnerable youth this September and Merritt, which opened its doors in September 2022.