The ALS Society of Canada (ALS Canada) is proud to launch the Children and Youth Resource Hub to provide children, youth, and families with important educational materials that support the understanding of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) – a disease that affects over 4,000 Canadians and their families.
Informed by family members of people living with ALS as well as experts in social work, caregiving, and grief, the Hub fills a prevailing gap in resources that support Canadian children and youth dealing with an ALS diagnosis in the family.
“An ALS diagnosis impacts the entire family, bringing uncertainty and difficult conversations, especially for young people. Having the right resources can make a difference in helping families navigate this journey with knowledge and support,” says Kim Barry, Vice-President of Community Services at ALS Canada. “Thanks to the generosity of the CIBC Foundation and insights from the ALS community, the ALS Canada Children and Youth Resource Hub has been created to provide families with tools and activities tailored to different age groups, offering guidance and comfort to help process and understand the complex disease.”
The Hub provides practical, age-appropriate, and relevant information to help children and youth explore topics, including what ALS is, how it will impact them and their loved ones, navigating changes, and how to deal with the mental health aspect of the disease. Materials include an animated video series with complementary activity sheets that use colourful shape characters and age-appropriate storytelling to provide information. Tipsheets are also available for adults to help navigate conversations and changes with the children in their lives.
As research and our understanding of the disease evolve, ALS Canada will add more resources to the Hub to continue providing essential tools and information about ALS for Canadians.
Funding support for the ALS Canada Children and Youth Hub is generously provided by the CIBC Foundation.
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