UPDATED: After receiving a thoughtful, detailed response from Headspace on September 17th, 2020 that they are open to expanding the Student Plan to Canada in the future, we have now decided to include the Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the Minister of Health Patty Hajdu to the Decision Maker's List in the hopes of potentially fostering a partnership between the Canadian government and Headspace Inc. With the return to school this Fall and the uncertainty that comes with learning in a completely different format, there is no doubt that many students across the nation are currently struggling to adjust and are experiencing increased rates of anxiety and decreased wellbeing. The benefits of a partnership between the Canadian government and Headspace would surely allow Headspace to expand their Student Plan to Canadian youth and young adults across the country as soon as possible, and the government's support and cooperation would be of great interest to the public by temporarily providing youth who are unable to receive adequate interventions relief, as well as promote the practice of mindfulness and mental wellness among Canadian students. 

According to the Government of Canada’s website, the leading cause of death in youth and young adults beside traumatic accidents is suicide. The UNICEF Report Card 16 recently revealed that Canadian youth have the worst mental health among their counterparts in nations with comparable wealth, and that Canada currently places 30 out of 38 countries in terms of childhood wellbeing. Youth Mental Health Canada revealed that only 1 in 5 Canadian children who require services related to mental health crises will actually receive them. The fact is that we are facing a healthcare crisis with increasingly inadequate accessibility to care and treatment, especially for those coming from marginalized and low-income communities who are often left out of the conversation.

On this topic, Psychology professor Dr. Will Huggon at the University of Toronto reflected on his time teaching for over 13 years at various universities across the GTA: “I have seen the toll of stress take its effects on students. Half of mental health struggles begin in childhood around age 14, and 75% by 24 years old. For College and University students, they are right in the middle of that age range with compounding life stressors and social readjustment affecting them: changing living conditions, moving to a new city, eating and sleeping poorly, as well as the stress of a completely new way to learn material with strict deadlines on term work. Combine that with not knowing how to properly balance life and work can lead to onset of mental disorder. Now, these students usually have access to healthcare, including mental health services at their institutions, yet it is still an ongoing issue.” As is the case in many Universities and Colleges across the country, despite having access to free counselling services, students face extremely long wait lists for appointments due to strained resources and extremely high demand. Dr. Huggon highlights the urgency revolving around this issue: “Imagine now youth without that free access. In Canada, the wait times for mental health services can sometimes be a year or more, especially if the issue is not deemed an emergency. Depression and Anxiety Disorders, left untreated, can escalate quite quickly and greatly impact all aspects of life and well-being. This is especially true for marginalized and low income communities.”

Mindfulness Meditation is a practice that Headspace has utilized to develop an interactive mobile app that has been the centre of numerous research studies assessing the effectiveness and utility of regular mindfulness-based training. Dr. Huggon notes that “one aspect that research has shown can help control depression and anxiety symptoms is mindfulness relaxation — learning to be able to relax while keeping your thoughts in the present and on your body conditions. Practicing mindfulness can ground people and reduce stress and, over time, can have lasting effects on wellbeing.” Following this, a 2019 study by Bostock, Crosswell, Prather, & Steptoe suggests that the brief provision of mindfulness meditation multiple times a day for 8 weeks through Headspace resulted in lessened distress and improved well-being among a sample of middle-aged, working adults. There is a plethora of research that suggests the regular practice of mindfulness meditation, including through apps such as Headspace, can improve wellbeing and symptoms associated with depression and anxiety. According to research published on their main website, Headspace claims to be able to improve focus, decrease stress and irritability, and increase compassion for both the self and others. As well, a 2016 study conducted by Howells, Ivtzan, & Eiroa-Orosa on students found that just ten days of practicing mindfulness through the application increased positivity and overall well being.

Headspace currently offers heavily discounted plans to University and College students in the United States, advertising on their website that a full-year subscription is available for $9.99USD compared to its original price of $69.99USD. In the UK, students have the opportunity to purchase a cost-effective subscription bundled in with their Spotify plan. In Canada, however, no such discount is offered. Despite receiving requests on social media platforms such as Twitter to expand their discount to Canadians, for over a year Headspace has maintained that they hope “in the future we can offer this in your region.” The current subscription price that Canadians must pay to gain full access to all of Headspace’s features is approximately $12.99/month or $69.99/year, which is not a very sustainable subscription price for many students, especially those facing financial insecurity in these increasingly uncertain times.

I believe that by expanding the student discount to youth and young adults studying in Canada, some of the strain on the healthcare system can potentially be alleviated and support can be provided to those struggling (who would otherwise potentially receive no intervention) until adequate funding and reform can prioritize mental health and wellness across Canada. By giving Canadian youth access to an affordable student plan, you will be providing them with options to explore when there often feels like there aren’t enough, engaging them to practice mindfulness, develop resiliency, and ultimately have a positive effect on their wellbeing.

Works Cited
Bostock, S., Crosswell, A. D., Prather, A. A., & Steptoe, A. (2019). Mindfulness on-the-go: Effects of a mindfulness meditation app on work stress and well-being. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 24(1), 127-138.

Howells, A., Ivtzan, I., & Eiroa-Orosa, F.J. (2016). Putting the 'app' in happiness: a randomised controlled trial of a smartphone-based mindfulness intervention to enhance wellbeing. Journal of Happiness Studies, 17(1), 163-185. doi: 10.1007/s10902-014-9589-1