Heather's journey with Foundry began in 2007 when she first heard about the need for a youth integrated services hub during a chance encounter in a Surrey Starbucks with Dr. Joan Fujawara who has worked with young people in Surrey for 38 years. 

During the application process, Heather was completing her Masters project at Royal Roads focused on designing a youth integrated services hub for Surrey. Her thesis envisioned with Surrey could be with a Foundry through the eyes of youth and families, and this is what they said:

“It was really neat. I was just so proud of the young people here in Surrey. They are very brilliant. They know what they need, and they’re able to articulate what they really need. It was discovered that young people would love a place where people can come together. Where everyone can come together in a warm and welcoming environment. They would love a space where they can detach from the noise, so they suggested having quiet rooms without social media, quiet places and where they just can think. The young people share that they want to be close to the land where they can do some outside activities even though it's in the urban setting. Another thing that came out of that research was that they would love to see something like a ‘grandparent in residence’ program. Isn't that brilliant?”

Heather’s research and focus of work has taught her that 80% of young people needing support fall into the low to moderate-risk category, which is an area that doesn’t have a lot of allocated resources. She highlights the role of Foundry filling this gap and providing preventive care. She highlights the prevalence of anxiety and depression among young people and the need to address mental health issues proactively.

“Foundry is a great space where we can provide prevention, and early intervention resources. We know, according to what was published by The Canadian Mental Health Association that 84,000 young people are experiencing mental health issues in BC and only 17% of those young people are accessing resources. There is so much we can do to provide young people with the tools they need to help them, to prevent them from going further into a mental health crisis. They can have a place like Foundry to learn those tools so they can thrive.”

She warns us from her experience that “hospitals are not the best place for your first interaction in addressing mental health. That's not the best place for young people” and Foundry’s advantage is no more waiting for care. Heather emphasizes the importance of reaching young people when they need support the most. Foundry's ability to offer timely preventive tools and resources is a game-changer, especially in a landscape where specialized services often come with long waiting lists. Foundry has been designed for youth by youth to be an environment that is welcoming. 

While measuring resilience is challenging, she underscores the importance of prevention programs as key to building the resilience of young people, preventing crises before they occur.