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
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.