Thunder Bay has introduced Planet Youth, a global initiative designed to foster healthier environments for young people amid elevated rates of youth substance use in the community.
United Way of Thunder Bay, Mayor Ken Boshcoff, Thunder Bay District Health Unit (TBDHU), city council, and local partners unveiled the program during a signing ceremony at city hall on Friday.
Proven Icelandic Model Takes Root
Planet Youth draws from Iceland’s successful strategy, which transformed the country from having some of Europe’s highest youth substance use rates to the lowest. The approach emphasizes long-term, sustained efforts without fixed timelines, setting it apart from typical programs.
Desiree Green, Planet Youth coordinator at United Way of Thunder Bay, highlighted its focus on reshaping environments around youth to prevent substance use initiation. Students in Thunder Bay report high levels of stress, loneliness, and anxiety, alongside substance use rates exceeding provincial averages. Local youth also start using substances at younger ages and experience sustained harms over multiple years—more than 10 times higher than elsewhere in the province for over a decade.
Structured Prevention Plan
The program begins with youth completing a 45- to 60-minute online survey. Data heads to Planet Youth headquarters in Iceland, generating detailed reports within six to eight weeks. These provide decision-makers with real-time insights into local risk and protective factors for youth.
Green noted that the initiative empowers young people as co-designers of community solutions, ensuring their voices shape responses. “This is their city,” she emphasized.
Community Leaders Rally Behind Effort
Sheena Albanese, health promotion planner at TBDHU, urges youth participation. “Planet Youth is a future-oriented enterprise, and the future belongs to youth,” Albanese stated. “Your experience, ideas, imagination, and leadership are essential to making a better future for young people in our community.”
The approach prioritizes community action, youth empowerment, and Indigenous leadership, grounding solutions in local culture and context.
Louisa Costanzo, community safety and well-being manager for the City of Thunder Bay, stressed the program’s preventative and collaborative nature. “It brings schools, families, service providers, partners, the city, and youth into one shared effort grounded in real local data,” Costanzo said. “Investing in youth is not only important—it’s vital.”
Costanzo added that Planet Youth strengthens protective factors like families, schools, friendships, and activities, fostering connection and hope. “It’s not about adding another program. It’s about aligning as a community and choosing to act earlier.”
Mayor Ken Boshcoff reaffirmed the city’s dedication at the launch. “Youth well-being is a collective responsibility, and this initiative brings together schools, families, service providers, and community leaders to take coordinated, data-informed action,” Boshcoff declared. “Working together, we can create the conditions for young people in Thunder Bay to thrive.”
