Navigating the mental health and addictions system is rarely straightforward, and for youth and families in Northern rural and remote communities, historic marginalization, inequitable service availability, and fragmented care pathways amplify navigation challenges. Born from lived experience over a decade ago, Family Navigation Project (FNP) at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre helps youth and families in the Greater Toronto Area find and access the right supports, establishing FNP as Ontario’s largest and longest-running evidence-informed youth mental health and addictions navigation service. Now, FNP and Compass/Boussole/Akii-Izhinoogan are working with youth and families across Sudbury-Manitoulin to build a navigation model rooted in Northern realities. This work is intentionally community-driven: youth, family members, and service providers from diverse background are shaping service design to ensure it reflects their lived experiences and priorities. This lightning talk will share what we learned—and what changed—when Northern communities define effective navigation for themselves.