Who We Are
MyOWL
MyOwl is a project founded by Dr. Mark Sinyor, a psychiatrist in Toronto, Canada. He has gathered a team of researchers and educators with a vision to improve the mental health of youth worldwide through literature.
What we stand for?
Our Vision
Improved Mental Health and Well-Being for Youth around the world.
Our Mission
To empower youth to develop coping skills and resiliency in the face of everyday challenges.
THE IDEA
Dr.Mark Sinyor was reading Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban with his 7-year old when he realized that J.K. Rowling had embedded her own experience learning Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) skills to manage depression within the book. He created a detailed framework for a curriculum teaching youth these skills while reading the book in school.
The Catholic District School Board of
Eastern
Ontario
Staff and teachers from the CDSBEO in Ontario, Canada helped transform Dr. Sinyor’s vision into a curriculum geared towards middle school language teachers and students.
Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
A team of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) experts at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto, Canada reviewed the curriculum and suggested further modification to ensure that CBT principles were communicated optimally.
The Launch
In 2018, the pen-and-paper version of the curriculum was launched in numerous school boards across Ontario, Canada including across the CDSBEO and the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) reaching thousands of students. We have been researching the curriculum since then.
The Website
In 2020, Dr. Sinyor and his research team received a grant from Mental Health Research Canada and the Institute for Advancements in Mental Health to create a digital version of the curriculum that can be accessed worldwide. Staff at Google Canada and their charitable partners donated their time and expertise to make this website a reality.