Who We Are

Mothers on the Frontline is the co-creation of three mothers of children with mental health conditions.  Our mission is to promote children’s mental health justice, caregiver justice, and caregiver healing through storytelling.  Our vision is a world in which all children are safe and able to thrive because their unique educational, social, emotional and health needs are genuinely met..

What We Do

We Believe

Mental health is a vital, integral part of the overall health and well-being of all children, families and communities.  

All people have the right to mental health care and mental well-being.

Children with mental health conditions and their caregivers have the right to genuinely healing care and support that centers their wisdom and experience.

Our current world is not safe for children. It is particularly unsafe for children with mental illness, neurodevelopmental disorders, and complex medical needs.  The danger to their health and well-being increases if they also happen to have other disabilities, and/or are Black, Indigenous, a Person of Color, transgender, or queer. 

The current systems, ideologies, practices and narratives around mental health serve to isolate, stigmatize, and punish people with mental illness, their families and caregivers.  This crisis is unacceptable.  

It is time for Children’s Mental Health Justice.

What is Children’s Mental Health Justice?

Children’s Mental Health Justice is the framing of child well-being as a social justice issue.  This framing works to identify and transform things that harm child, caregiver and family safety, health and well-being.  It seeks to prevent these harms from happening in the first place and to heal the damage done to our minds, bodies, souls, children, families, communities and ancestors.  

Why Us?

We have experienced pain, isolation, fear, shame, and uncertainty as we have walked with our children through the gauntlet of systems that surveil, traumatize, punish, criminalize and kill, rather than provide care for mental illness.  We have felt the primal rage at the injustice of it all.  We have been held together and guided by the love, compassion and knowledge of those who walked this path before and with us.  This has instilled in us a deep sense of responsibility to share what we have learned and to gather and learn from those who wish to contribute the gifts of their wisdom.  It is our sacred obligation to pay it forward. 

Why Storytelling?

“Words are medicine that can heal or injure,” Basil Johnston, Objibwa storyteller.  

Far too often the stories told about mental illness, those who have it, and those who care for them are prejudicial, stigmatized and false.  These injurious words serve to silence and isolate us from ourselves, eachother, our communities and our power.  To speak is to survive.  Mothers on the Frontline understands stories as precious heritage, rich sources of wisdom and knowledge, and powerful tools for healing and transformation.  Storywork disrupts isolation, builds connection and collaboration, reframes and rewrites harmful narratives, returns agency to the storyteller, and honors and centers the lived experience of our beloved community so that we may all heal.

Our Humble Thanks

We derive inspiration from and are connected to other justice movements, particularly Reproductive Justice and Disability Justice.  The Children’s Mental Health Justice framework is a co-creation, a synthesis of shared wisdom and experience.  It would not exist without the blood, sweat, tears, wisdom, and knowledge shared with us by trans-queer folx, people with disabilities, Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color and especially the women of these movements, our ancestors, mothers, grandmothers, aunties, sisters and friends.  We are humbled by their grace, fortitude, strength, kindness, and love and strive to uplift their voices with our work.  

In the spirit of reciprocity and mutual responsibility we invite you, your families, communities and ancestors to join us on this journey of discovery, transformation and healing.

How Can You Help?

As a 100% volunteer run organization our greatest need is for your donations. If you feel connected to or moved by our work please consider donating to our cause. We are a 501(c)(3) organization - donations are tax-deductible.
Listen and subscribe to our Podcast. Share your favorite episodes with your friends!
You can learn how to bring the principles and practices of Children's Mental Health Justice to your community, group or organization by booking one of our workshops. We have limited availability in 2023. Fees are on a sliding scale.
Check out our Community Engagement page to stay up to date about our upcoming events.
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