The Goal
To increase concussion knowledge and awareness amongst Canadian youth.
What We Do
The You-CAN program supports youth leaders within Canadian high school and sport communities to design and lead a concussion awareness campaign for their school or sport in order to increase concussion knowledge and awareness.
Our intention is to have youth connect their fellow youth with the concussion knowledge and resources to help them:
- Know when they have a concussion
- Ask for support when they have a concussion
- Support their peers (classmates, teammates, friends) who have a concussion
We hope to create a safe and supportive environment for youth who have sustained a concussion so they know what to do if they suspect a concussion and how to provide social support when someone is recovering from a concussion.
There are currently two ways to participates in the You-CAN program:
You-CAN School
For Principals, Teachers & High School Students
You-CAN Sport
For Sport Organizations, Coaches & Youth Athletes
What You Can Do
You can join a network of youth from across Canada with the common goal of raising awareness about concussions, and creating a supportive community for youth after a concussion.
Become a peer leader and help educate and support your classmates or teammates. Bring together a group of peers who are passionate about concussion awareness and helping others.
Learn about concussions, choose the information to share and get creative! Use the You-CAN Concussion Resource Library to plan engaging ways you can share the concussion information with your school or sport community.
Run a concussion awareness campaign with your school or sport community. Share information that can help others. Celebrate your campaign and share what you did with the You-CAN team!
Interested? Contact us at you.can@utoronto.ca to bring concussion education to your school or sport organization!
Lead. Create. Share.
How to Get Started
The first step is to contact the project team at you.can@utoronto.ca to sign up.
You have signed up to be part of You-CAN. Now what?
Build a Council
Bring together a group of youth from your community who are passionate about concussion awareness and helping others.
Choose Resources
Choose which concussion information you will share from the You-CAN list of resources and brainstorm how you can share it with your peers.
Run a Campaign
Run a week long concussion awareness campaign with your school or sport community.
Build. Choose. Run.
Are you a principal, teacher, or a coach? Contact us at you.can@utoronto.ca to find out how to get started and support your students or athletes to bring peer-led concussion awareness to your community.
Testimonials
I was impressed with the program because it brought kids from different and diverse background together to share common experiences.
High School Principal
It was a good experience, I was overwhelmed with the number of students and staff that were interested in joining this initiative.
High School Teacher
I feel like this was a really great program that came up, and the kids really took a hold of it. They really wanted to put that campaign together and spread the word.
High School Teacher