The stigma surrounding mental health in young people today can create a problematic culture of silence and alienation, making it difficult for youth in need to seek help even when it is readily available to them.
One way of helping break down that culture is with a creative platform in place for young people to share their mental health experiences with each other and with mental health professionals.
The Children and Youth in Challenging Contexts Network intends to create such a platform. In honour of this year鈥檚 International Youth Day and its theme of 鈥淵outh and Mental Health,鈥� the CYCC Network has launched its , which asks young people to submit creative projects about experiencing and/or overcoming their struggles with mental health.
The campaign is fitting for the CYCC Network, since its goal is the mobilization of knowledge. The network is made up of academics, governments, community organizations, and service providers who share with each other their different forms of knowledge and experiences with youth in challenging contexts in order to improve mental health and wellbeing for at-risk youth in Canada.
Youth focused on youth
The Mental Health Heroes campaign was created by the Network鈥檚 Youth Advisory Committee, which consists of passionate individuals between the ages of 18 and 30 who are motivated to create positive change in their communities.
Emily Zinck is the coordinator of the Network鈥檚 youth advisory committee and a PhD candidate at AV俱乐部 studying youth involvement in research with the Dal-hosted Rom茅o Dallaire Child Soldiers Initiative. She emphasizes that youth are, 鈥渆xperts in their own experience鈥�: nobody knows their own struggles better than they do, making their stories an asset to the CYCC Network鈥檚 efforts to share knowledge about youths鈥� struggles.
The campaign is accepting any sort of creative submission:鈥� poems, collages, essays, even just a simple email 鈥� about how youths have experienced and overcome their mental health struggles. Participants remain anonymous unless they prefer to be identified.
The works will be displayed on the CYCC鈥檚 website , says Emily, with the hope of 鈥渆ncouraging other youth and also informing service providers, and those working in mental health. Hearing what young people say really works for them.鈥�
According to Emily, young people often seem to think there is 鈥渟ome sort of shame associated with getting help, and that鈥檚 just so not true.鈥� Getting these stories out there is pivotal in creating space for youth voices. 鈥淭heir story has value,鈥� she says. 鈥淭heir experience has value. People want to hear it.鈥�
鈥淥ne of the biggest needs we have as humans is to be heard, and to share our story, she says. 鈥淓specially a story of overcoming, and I think that鈥檚 why we liked the term 鈥榟ero.鈥� Because really, you are a hero, to come through a struggle like that.鈥�
The CYCC Network will be accepting submissions for the Mental Health Heroes campaign until August 31st. .