Helping Boys Ask for Help Through Sport
Tel-jeunes is partnering with the RSEQ (Québec Student Sports Network) to launch the Brise-Glace Strategy, a field-based approach designed to help young boys talk about what they’re going through and develop help-seeking reflexes. Even today, boys account for only 20% of teens who contact Tel-jeunes—a proportion that has remained unchanged for more than 35 years.
An approach rooted in the reality of sports
In sports, performance pressure can make it harder to talk about what one is experiencing—and for many boys, fear of being judged or of appearing “weak” can further hinder help-seeking. In fact, among the boys surveyed as part of the pilot project, 75% say they prefer to handle their problems on their own, even when facing significant challenges.
The Brise-Glace Strategy builds on their reality (team spirit, performance, athletic identity) to open up dialogue and make help-seeking more accessible, using reference points and language they recognize.
Developed following a pilot project carried out over more than three years, the Strategy was created with and for young people, in collaboration with hockey players, as well as their coaches and parents. The goal: to create a concrete, field-adapted framework that supports both the athlete—and the teen behind the athlete.
Equipping the adults and rolling out across Québec
Brise-Glace also relies on the adults who surround young people—coaches, parents, and practitioners—by equipping them to recognize signs of distress and to initiate conversations at the right time, in a safe and supportive environment.
Over the coming year, Tel-jeunes and the RSEQ aim to reach 150 hockey teams across several regions of Québec, with a clear ambition: to integrate Brise-Glace into all sports and for all young people.
