Team sessions
A 30-minute session in the gym, led by an athlete. Performance anxiety, identity outside sport, injury, comparison — and what to actually say when a teammate is struggling.
The team talks.
So should you.
Huddle is a youth-led program for teen athletes on the North Shore. We make mental health a normal thing to talk about in sport, and we make sure every player knows exactly where to go for help.
Sport is where young people already are
Almost 70% of Canadian kids aged 5 to 15 play sports. Every week they show up, in a group, with a coach who knows them. It is one of the best places to reach young people — and it is barely used for mental health.
At the same time, sport teaches athletes to push through pain and say nothing. That works for a hard practice. It is dangerous for anxiety, burnout, injury or losing the identity that came with the game.
The services exist and they're free. What's missing is the short walk between a struggling athlete and the door.
What we do
Coach briefings
Twenty minutes for coaching staff: what to watch for, how to start a conversation, how to refer, and where their responsibility ends.
The card
Every athlete leaves holding a card with real support on it, and knowing what actually happens when they reach out for the first time.
What we are not. Huddle is an education and referral program. We are not counsellors, therapists or a crisis service, and we don't diagnose anyone. Our job is to make the subject speakable and the path to real help short and clear.
If you need support right now
- 9-8-8 Suicide Crisis HelplineCall or text 988, any time
- Kids Help Phone1-800-668-6868, or text CONNECT to 686868
- BC Mental Health Crisis Line310-6789, no area code
- Foundry North Shore211 West 1st Street, North Vancouver · 604-984-5060 · free and confidential, ages 12–24
- CMHA North and West VancouverSTEPS youth program, ages 13–18 · steps@cmhanorthshore.ca
In an emergency, call 9-1-1.
Donate
Every dollar raised right now goes to CMHA North and West Vancouver, which runs free mental health programs for youth on the North Shore, including STEPS for ages 13 to 18.
Donations open soon
Huddle is setting up its donation page. Until then, you can give directly to CMHA North and West Vancouver, or email us to support a fundraiser. Huddle does not collect or hold donations yet.
Get involved
Bring Huddle to your team
Coaches and athletic directors: a session takes 30 minutes and costs nothing.
Play in a fundraiser
Tournaments and skills clinics, with everything raised going to CMHA.
Volunteer
Athletes who want to help run sessions and events are who make this work.