It’s hard to believe it’s already been 6 months since the wrap up of the 2023 Press Start CoLab Program! Last year’s program, focused on the mental health crisis in Canada, was a tremendous success thanks to the incredible participants, mentors, speakers, and partners! We supported 50 youth activists through our program and granted 10 participants funding from our pool of $61,000.  

Today, these grant recipients are working hard to bring their ideas to life and create a positive difference in the space of mental health. Let’s look at the impact the program has made and the grant recipient progress so far. 

CogniLink by Matthew Gaiser & Nicholas Lor

Granted $9,000

CogniLink is a platform that builds and connects cohorts of participants ready for studies with mental health researchers, aiming to lower costs, reduce delays, and enhance research quality. 

Over the past 6-months, Matthew and Nick have incorporated CogniLink as a business, launched a public website, conducted market research, and developed and tested their platform. Grant funding has allowed them to not only legally incorporate, but also to purchase AI subscriptions to speed up their software development velocity. 

Interested individuals and organizations can stay updated on progress and launch details through their website, where they also have a contact form. 

Tiny Wins by Alexander Lam

Previously known as Reset and granted $10,000 by OTIP

Tiny Wins is a mobile app that makes recovery from anxiety simple using small manageable steps. Their first product is an app for those experiencing social anxiety. Using professionally vetted action plans, Tiny Wins leverages exposure therapy and breaks down the process into small, manageable steps, helping users gradually confront their fears.  

Alexander’s team at Tiny Wins has spent the past six months using the grant funding to kickstart the development of their first mobile app for Android and iOS platforms, slated to release in the Summer of 2024. Their team has made the key decision to adopt a modular approach, focusing on iterative releases of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) components, which has accelerated their development timeline and allowed them to retain real-time feedback. The app will help users form action plans to progressively work on exposure therapy for social anxiety, keeping users on track and helping them resolve roadblocks. 

Get updates on the launch of the website. For those interested in joining the pre-launch list, helping the team test their solution, ask questions, or provide feedback, please contact alex@tinywins.club. 

Frog Pockets by Chey Kidd

Granted $2,000 

Frog Pockets is a business startup that creates sensory friendly hoodies for neurodivergent adults in Canada.  

Chey is happy to announce that Frog Pockets is officially a registered Canadian business! Since receiving grant funding, they have professionally set-up a custom domain for their website and emails, completed several different clothing prototype designs, and secured website and social media domains. Frog Pockets is currently in the process of connecting with Canadian manufacturers and preparing social media content for a steady marketing schedule. 

To learn more, please visit the website, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok. 

Plan Gratitude by Eileen Danaee

Granted $1,000 by OTIP 

Plan Gratitude is a mental health-based, bilingual and anonymous messaging platform targeted towards youth in middle and secondary school. Plan Gratitude allows students to express their thanks towards their teachers, school staff and peers anonymously, fostering a culture of appreciation.  

Eileen is currently preparing for the launch of Plan Gratitude into the Canadian Market. The bulk of the programs work so far has been developing the website and messaging platform itself, which is set to be complete by early Summer 2024. The Plan Gratitude information packages for schools are ready to go, along with a detailed marketing plan to launch and advertise the program to schools in May and July of 2024. 

You can follow @plangratitude and @cy4ye on Instagram. The website is set to launch in the Summer of 2024. 

The Chronic Illness Group by Karima Leslie 

Granted $8,000

The Chronic Illness Group Program by Arise and Thrive Co. Aims to support young female creatives with physical, invisible chronic illness to improve their quality of life, regain financial independence, and eliminate isolation through virtual holistic care. The Program combines mental, physical, financial and environmental healthcare for its members. 

Karima and the team at Arise and Thrive Co. have worked hard over the past 6-months to source mental health professionals to join their team, perform primary market research, devise a business plan, participate in networking events, and set up the essential software and systems for the program. 

You can participate in the Chronic Illness Resource Survey. Visit the website for inquiries and resources. For program updates and education on chronic illness healing and self-care, visit  YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok. 

Rural Queer Survival Guide by Mabe Kyle

Granted $8,000

The Rural Queer Survival Guide aims to bridge the gap regarding the lack of accessible mental health resources and 2SLGBTQIAP+ resources available for 2SLGBTQIAP+ youth. The Survival Guide would have a digital component featuring different articles and blog posts to navigate, with six main chapters, all written by and for rural 2SLGBTQIAP+ people from across what is colonially known as Canada. 

In the past 6-months, Mabe has partnered with a company to publish the Rural Queer Survival Guide anthology that will put out a call out for stories to include in the project. Many stories have already been submitted to be featured in the Guide. The grant funding from the CoLab Program has allowed Mabe to pay the artists and authors whose submissions are selected to be a part of the anthology. 

Follow progress through the Rural Ontario Community of Queer Youth, Caitlin Press, and on Instagram. 

jargon by Karen Huo

Granted $3,000

Jargon is Canada’s first virtual science café, allowing upcoming scientists and researchers to engage with citizen scientists within their local communities. Jargon seeks to amplify scientific voices in the fight against misinformation while promoting the grassroots of STEM initiatives. 

The website for Jargon will be ready to launch by May 2024, with their first chapter of students from the University of Toronto, York University, the University of Waterloo, and the University of Western Ontario! They are also currently negotiating a potential collaboration with a Canadian academic journal and scientific conference. 

Follow along on Instagram. 

Our Safehouse by Sierra Patey

Granted $10,000

Our Safehouse is an online service that helps those struggling with suicide ideations to navigate social support options. 

In the past 6 months, Sierra connected with community members to allocate resources for the website, worked towards launching it, and started incorporating Our Safehouse as a charity. Sierra has also booked suicide prevention training and has organized fundraising events for the Summer of 2024. 

Follow along on Instagram and their website, launching May 14, 2024. 

TransHealthON by Ilya Robinson 

Previously known as Trans Healthcare Database and granted $2,000 

TransHealthON provides resources, community support, knowledge, connection, and opportunities to trans youth in Ontario to fill a gap in the trans healthcare system in Ontario.  

Ilya has spent countless hours manually collecting, contacting and verifying hundreds of healthcare providers in Ontario, along with a unified brand, logo and website, with hopes to have the database live within the next few months. Through an external fellowship grant program, Ilya is also running a nation-wide art contest to continue to fund and market TransHealthON and give back to the youth with a $200 honorarium for a selected piece of art. 

To learn more, please visit the website. 

Coming Soon: The 2024 Press Start CoLab Program & The CoLab High School Program 

In addition to celebrating all the successes, we are thrilled to share that the applications for the 2024 CoLab Program, focused on the Mental Health Crisis in Canada, will be open from May 6 to June 3, 2024.  This year’s sub-focus areas will be: 

• Accessibility and navigation of mental health services 
• Stigma and misinformation around mental health 
• Diversity and cultural sensitivity in mental health resources 
• Inclusive and evidence-based research on mental health 

We are in the process of making many exciting enhancements to this year’s program, including the launch of a CoLab High School Program in the Fall of 2024!  This 6-week pilot program, brought to you by Teachers Life and OTIP, will focus on bringing the CoLab Program to education communities across Ontario. Passionate high school students from across the province will collaborate with Education Workers and peers in their community to create a minimal viable solution to the mental health crisis amongst youth. 

This program, led by some of our 2023 CoLab Program grant recipients as mentors, will focus on the following 3 sub-focus areas: 

• De-stigmatizing mental health 
• Building confidence and self-image 
• Creating safe spaces for connectedness 

Visit our Press Start site and follow us on social media to stay tuned for updates on how to apply to our programs this Spring and Fall!