We cannot always build the future for our youth, but we can build our youth for the future.
– Franklin D. Roosevelt
Youth, more than any other group, struggle with maintaining good mental health. The challenges youth face are unique. Young people often don’t have the knowledge to recognize that they have a mental health issue, and if there are no visible symptoms present, they may be misdiagnosed, or even worse, not diagnosed at all.
That is why our goal from the beginning has been to increase awareness about the importance of making mental health part of our everyday conversation by decreasing the stigma that currently exists around mental health. While we might not be able to directly change the future, we can certainly work towards educating our youth about their mental health. By talking to young people about their mental, we are showing them that it is not a taboo topic, but rather it is just as important as their physical health. Educating youth about their mental health also helps them to recognize when something isn’t quite right, allowing them to feel empowered to speak up and seek help so that they do not have to suffer in silence.
An estimated 1.2 million children and youth in Canada are affected by mental illness—yet, less than 20 per cent will receive appropriate treatment.
– Mental Health Commission of Canada
This vision all starts by working directly with youth. Our ConvoPlates are predominantly hand-crafted by youth through our art therapy program, a fun and creative way to spark conversations with youth about their own mental health. This post is dedicated to all of the young people who have taken charge of their mental health by decorating a ConvoPlate. Most recently, we would like to recognize the 32 students of Lisgar Middle School for their participation:
| 760 | Kyle Fernando |
| 761 | Renad Alhamdan |
| 762 | Aryan Sodadasu |
| 763 | Alexander Willis |
| 764 | Maryam Ahmed |
| 765 | Ishika Patel |
| 766 | Ella Grant |
| 767 | Justin Saki |
| 768 | Kingston Rathwell |
| 769 | Maryyam Abdali |
| 770 | Mateo Kiriakopoulos |
| 771 | Ibad Khan |
| 772 | Aiza Syed |
| 773 | Safa Fatima |
| 774 | Khadijah Hamil |
| 775 | Melanie Nandram |
| 776 | Tiara Norman |
| 777 | Esheeta Mavadia |
| 778 | Ishkeerat Kaur |
| 779 | Pal Bhatia |
| 780 | Mehak Thukral |
| 781 | Anam Rehman |
| 782 | Umaima Aziz |
| 783 | Abirami Mathirajan |
| 784 | Onyinyechi Oluikpe |
| 785 | Asma Habibi |
| 786 | Imaan Syed |
| 787 | Sarah El Redy |
| 788 | Hannah Huynh |
| 789 | Amal Merhi |
| 790 | Lea Nahal |
| 791 | Mona Aldoori |
| 792 | Zoya Muzamil |
Special thanks to Liz Tavares and Lisgar Middle School for helping to make this happen.
Written by Kayleigh Clapperton
Social Media and Project Coordinator