WE’RE SAFELY CONNECTING YOUTH
WHO ARE NAVIGATING STRESSFUL LIFE EVENTS
Powered by TELUS, Upopolis Island is a free, fun, and secure online community that connects youth 10 to 18 with others like them who are going through life stressful life events in North America. Upopolis reduces social isolation while educating and empowering youth to play an active role in managing and coping with their situation.
In 2020, we expanded Upopolis to include this “island”, a place where youth navigating life challenges can connect in private groups with other youth who are navigating grief, being the siblings of a youth who is living with a medical condition and now the youth of adult patients. Youth will have access to peer support, resources, activities shared by our child life team, and more.
JOIN OUR COMMUNITY NOW
JOIN OUR COMMUNITY NOW
Welcome to Upopolis Island
WE’RE SAFELY CONNECTING YOUTH
WHO ARE NAVIGATING STRESSFUL LIFE EVENTS
Powered by TELUS, Upopolis Island is a free, fun, and secure online community that connects youth 10 to 18 with others like them who are going through stressful life events in North America. Upopolis reduces social isolation while educating and empowering youth to play an active role in managing and coping with their situation.
In 2020, we expanded Upopolis to include this “island”, a place where youth navigating stressful life events can connect in private groups with other youth who are navigating grief, being the siblings of a youth who is living with a medical condition and now youth of adult patients. Youth will have access to peer support, resources, activities shared by our child life team and more.
Welcome to Upopolis Island
WE’RE SAFELY CONNECTING YOUTH
WHO ARE NAVIGATING STRESSFUL LIFE EVENTS
Powered by TELUS, Upopolis Island is a free, fun, and secure online community that connects youth 10 to 18 with others like them who are going through stressful life events in North America. Upopolis reduces social isolation while educating and empowering youth to play an active role in managing and coping with their situation.
In 2020, we expanded Upopolis to include this “island”, a place where youth navigating stressful life events can connect in private groups with other youth who are navigating grief, being the siblings of a youth who is living with a medical condition and now the youth of adult patients. Youth will have access to peer support, resources, activities shared by our child life team, and more.
JOIN OUR COMMUNITY NOW
RELIABLE MEDICAL CONTENT
We provide access to experienced Certified Child Life Specialists who are ready to answer their questions. Children can also access UKnow, a medical library that’s full of accurate, age-appropriate, and reliable information and videos. All content on UKnow is either created, written, or reviewed by healthcare professionals with knowledge in youth development. Upopolis helps youth prepare for and understand their medical journey at their own pace. It also provides them with volunteer opportunities to build their leadership skills.
PROVIDING VALUABLE CONNECTIONS
Kids’ Health Links Foundation (KHLF), a Canadian registered charity created Upopolis and our platform was inspired by the medical experiences of two friends: Christina Papaevangelou and Katy McDonald. Through their medical journeys, it became obvious that their sense of separation and need to connect was not unique. Upopolis was launched to answer this need, using social technology to alleviate the stress, isolation, and loneliness felt by Canadian youth who have been chronically ill or hospitalized.
WE BELIEVE IN CREATIVITY, SELF-EXPRESSION,
EMPATHY, AND UNDERSTANDING
IT’S ABOUT…
Creative
expression.
Youth create their own “spaces” where they can share their experiences and discuss their interests while being monitored by Upopolis staff.
And
feelings.
Youth can express their thoughts and feelings through blogging, photos, posts, contests, and more; always with the support and supervision of mentors and healthcare professionals who understand their unique struggles and experiences.
And
knowledge.
Upopolis users get access to trusted, age-appropriate medical information that is created, written, or reviewed by experienced healthcare professionals with knowledge in youth development.
And
the journey.
As patient care moves toward an outpatient approach, we offer ongoing peer-to-peer support beyond a youth’s local community and access to a team of child life specialists for support before, during, and after treatment.
WE MAKE SAFETY OUR NUMBER ONE PRIORITY
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Upopolis users must be referred by a professional.
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The only adults who have access to Upopolis are professionals who are trained to work with and engage with youth patients.
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Youth users are never anonymous, they are identified using their real first name, must sign a pledge of responsibility, and only after being verified can they join the platform. This increases accountability for behavior on the site.
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Upopolis users range from 10 to 18 years old (sometimes as young as 8). Younger children are able to use the site because we monitor our closed network.
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We are always aware of all of the content and user activity on the site.
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Upopolis has a safety reporting function for every post and photo. Content that is reported immediately disappears from the site and is then reviewed by administrators.
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