Bridge the gapp is a new way to connect with guidance and support for mental health and addictions in Newfoundland and Labrador. The best thing about it is its accessibility. From a computer, tablet or a phone in your pocket, you can instantly access content that can provide advice, inspiration, assurance, or direction for finding additional supports when you need it the most.
The app was inspired by youth artwork displayed in the waiting room for Eastern Health’s Bridges Program – a community-based mental health service that provides therapy and support to young people between the ages of 13 and 18. The artwork includes drawings, poems, quotes and song lyrics.
With the support of generous contributions from the Canada Post Community Foundation and the Janeway Children’s Hospital Foundation, staff at Eastern Health originally developed this app under the program’s philosophy of acceptance of the adolescent experience and its impact on mental wellness. Building on the success of this app, the Provincial Government saw that it could be expanded in scope to benefit youth all across Newfoundland and Labrador.
Bridge the gapp offers self-help resources, links to local services, and allows the user to share their own personal stories. Bridge the gapp also connects youth to an eight-week online self-management program called the BreathingRoom.
The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador thanks all the stakeholders and youth who played a role in the development of Bridge the gapp. The involvement of the community, and specifically young people, has enriched this service. The youth app also served as inspiration for the development of a second app for adults.