The Rainbow District School Board will host secondary students from Sudbury, Espanola and Manitoulin Island today for HEADSTRONG – an evidence-based anti-stigma initiative aimed at inspiring students to be brave, reach out and speak up about mental health.
Education director, Bruce Bourget, says the summit takes place today at Collège Boréal in Sudbury with 132 students taking part from four regional school boards (Rainbow District School Board, Conseil scolaire public du Grand Nord de l’Ontario, Conseil scolaire catholique du Nouvel-Ontario and Sudbury Catholic District School Board).
He says the all-day conference is spearheaded by the Mental Health Commission of Canada, educating youth ages 14 to 18 to recognize the signs of mental health problems and to help reduce the stigma.
He adds the conference will also feature two keynote speakers who have lived with and recovered from mental illness.
The first keynote speaker is Ava Walker-Savoie, an 18-year-old student currently studying pre-health at Cambrian College.
She hopes to one day become a registered nurse to put her passion for health care into action.
Lindsay Mayhew, a spoken word artist and author, and holds a master’s degree in English Literature.
She is passionate about human rights and mental health and spends most of her time reading and writing.
