The Phoenix Centre puppet show in Pembroke, Ont. goes virtual
In person puppet shows put on by the Phoenix Centre for Children and Families in Pembroke, Ont. are going virtual.
Since 1992, the Phoenix Centre has been putting on the Friends and Neighbours Club, which involved live puppet shows at elementary schools that addressed youth mental health needs and issues.
The centre says those performances haven't been put on in years now due to the pandemic.
The Phoenix Centre says due to the demand for mental health services the capacity is not currently available to handle every child's needs individually. Thus, the live performances have been transformed into videos for classrooms and clinics to access at their convenience.
"We're covering all the different mental health issues that children face: separation, divorce, self-esteem, relationships, making friends, etcetera," says Greg Lubimiv, Executive Director of Pembroke's Phoenix Centre.
At the launch on Friday, three videos are currently available for viewing on their website, with more videos to come.
"We were able to poll the schools locally and say, what are the three hot issues right now for schools," Lubimiv tells CTV News Ottawa. "They identified COVID, racism, and anxiety. Anxiety is really heavy right now in terms of being an issue."
The videos target children aged four to 11. Lubimiv says children in that demographic are able to relate to the puppets as peers and friends.
"We see problems after they have festered, after they have really blown into large proportions. If we can reach children younger as they are forming some of their impressions of themselves, impressions of others, their social skills, emotional skills, and regulation skills, then we have a much better chance of having children who grow up resilient and that they will not be challenged by mental health issues in the same way they are today."
The Phoenix Centre says their videos and resources are now available to thousands of classrooms and clinics at a time now, rather than the live performances, which could only target small groups at a time.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Feds hope to table foreign interference legislation next week: LeBlanc
Democratic Institutions Minister Dominic LeBlanc says he plans to table legislation this week to help the federal government address foreign interference, but he wouldn't say whether the proposal will include a foreign agent registry.
Auston Matthews skates ahead of Game 7, status unclear with season on the line
Centre Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs hasn't been ruled out of tonight's Game 7 against the Boston Bruins.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.