TORONTO, - Tangerine Bank and Kids Help Phone announced today, a two-year commitment to provide Black youth in Canada with tailored programming and e-mental health support. In 2019, Kids Help Phone served youth 1.9 million times. In 2020, that number exponentially increased to over 4.6 million connections, showcasing the ever-growing need for youth support and accessible services in Canada.

Tangerine's commitment will support Kids Help Phone's Black youth strategy, RiseUp. According to Kids Help Phone, the percentage of youth in distress related to racism and discrimination more than doubled between May and June 2020. Kids who report racism as a cause of distress are among the most stressed before texting in to Kids Help Phone (second only to those fearing harm from someone in the home).

"We are thrilled to work with Kids Help Phone and to help ensure critical programming that supports Black youth with access to support services," said Gillian Riley, President and CEO at Tangerine Bank. "We firmly believe that youth empowerment is incredibly important to building stronger communities and, through our work with community partners, we are taking action to acknowledge and help eliminate the existence and influence of systemic anti-Black racism."

RiseUp will focus on better supporting Black youth through three key deliverables including an analysis of policies and practices at Kids Help Phone to identify program gaps creating Black community leadership engagement including a national Black youth council and, supporting learning sessions and new training to strengthen knowledge within the Kids Help Phone team.

"We are grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with Tangerine Bank. Together we support underserved Black youth, nation wide by listening, understanding and taking action," said Katherine Hay, President and CEO, Kids Help Phone. "This collaboration supports our efforts to remove barriers created by anti-Black racism as Kids Help Phone continues our journey with purpose."

This announcement marks Tangerine's renewed commitment to empowering communities through Tangerine Project Forward – an initiative that helps deliver programs that inspire self-confidence, leadership, belonging and acceptance in Canadian youth. Tangerine Project Forward supports Jack.org, Youth Without Shelter, Lady Ballers Camp, FoodShare and now Kids Help Phone, among others.