"Be Brave, Reach Out and Speak Up"

Last week, thirteen of our grade 8-9 students along with Mrs. Blake, our Making Connections Worker, got to participate in the Headstrong Summit put on by the Mental Health Commission of Canada. This was the first year that Trinity has had the opportunity to participate in this amazing program.

The purpose of Headstrong is to raise awareness about mental health and to help educate students and give them the tools to go back to their schools as mental health leaders and advocates to help break the 'stigma'. Throughout the summit, students were encouraged to "Be Brave, Reach Out and Speak Up".

Students had the opportunity to hear from keynote speakers about their struggles with mental health, and how they have overcome them and have now become advocates for starting the conversation about mental health and breaking the stigma. The students also participated in activities with students from other schools to help deepen their understanding, and inspire them to advocate for change in how their school community views and talks about mental health.

This group of grade 8-9 students will have the opportunity throughout the year to plan initiatives for their school community to create a culture of support and acceptance around mental health.