Empowering Young Minds: The Story of Alberta Press & Paper

The power of preventative mental health care, emotional well-being, and mindfulness in children is, for me, one of the greatest focal points of my life. My passion lies in working with and strengthening young minds and emphasizing the importance of mental health, specifically at an early age.

My name is Shantelle Jammaz. I am a mother to two sweetly wild girls, a Child and Youth Care practitioner, and the founder of Alberta Press & Paper.

Alberta Press & Paper was created from my desire to positively affect my, at the time, two-year-old's mindfulness, social-emotional learning, and self-love. While seeing the effects that the 2020 pandemic had on the world, I was on the hunt for products that I could use with my daughter to help develop her resilience and regulation skills. As a new mom, I was watching the mental state of the world crumble due to such an unprecedented period in our history, and my primary concern became clear: I needed to begin preparing this little being for this vast and occasionally daunting world.

In 2017, I earned my bachelor's degree in Child and Youth Care. As soon as I could, I delved into the field, focusing closely on children and youth who were grappling with mental health challenges, whether stemming from trauma or neurological issues. I was invested and I loved every bit of it.

After leaving the field to have my daughter and while watching the pandemic create this major mental shift around the globe, I knew that I wanted to help on a bigger scale. How could I make more of a difference for my daughter and for all of the children affected by the layers of struggles that this pandemic brought forth? I was searching for something that I don't believe existed, so I got to the drawing board, and I figured I would create it myself.

I went on to merge my desire to help others, my obsession with motherhood, and my knowledge of trauma-based practice and mindfulness in children together, and that's when Alberta Press & Paper was born.

Alberta Press & Paper's mission is to help educate, inspire, and encourage children and youth - all while connecting them with a caregiver, whether that be a parent, teacher, grandmother, stepfather, or any nurturing adult. We create open-ended, easily accessible tools to help children and youth connect with themselves and with a safe and loving adult. Each product was created to become a tool to strengthen a child's confidence, self-reflection, social, emotional, and mental health, self- regulation, and most importantly, self-love and kindness. Kindness towards others and, above all else, kindness towards oneself.

My desire for nurturing children’s mental health and for educating others is deeply rooted within me. My mission has always been to share the knowledge I’ve acquired and to provide parents and caregivers with a fresh perspective on childhood development, mental health and the importance of learning the skills to help foster a safe, encouraging and healthy relationship with our littles.

Thank you for following along.