Meet The Regional Team

IFE

I'm Ife. I am in grade 11. I found YouthTALK through a volunteering site and thought it was a good opportunity to give back to my community. Through YouthTALK I have learned so much and I cannot wait to learn and experience so much more. I’ve never been a quiet person but I have always been scared to share my thoughts. YouthTALK gave me the space and confidence to feel comfortable enough to share what was on my mind. I feel as though as each meeting goes by I become a better version of myself. Not just that but I've also gotten the chance to be around people who are also growing and learning. It is an irreplaceable experience. I feel seen here, and am sure that as time continues it will get better as we do more activities and meet with schools. I am so grateful for this opportunity and cannot wait to see what's to come :)

LILY

I found out about YouthTALK when they did a presentation at my old high school. All the information about mental health, coping strategies, and just overall wellness was really interesting to hear about. I was intrigued about YouthTALK so I signed up, did my interview, and officially joined the team! I loved YouthTALK from the moment I was on the team. I made new friends! I gained new knowledge! I was in a positive supportive environment! There is an energy to YouthTALK that I just can't explain, that just catches and makes the program so incredible. It has been an amazing experience as well, being able to truly help and educate youth. Since then, I apply everything I have learned to my daily life which is super useful. I used to be really hard on myself, and now I am able to see that my physical and mental health take priority. I am a much stronger and confident person today than I used to be, and I have grown significantly from being in this program. I highly recommend joining this program. You will not regret it :)

BREE

I’m Bree and I am a Grade 10 student at Guelph Collegiate. Originally, I joined YouthTALK 3 years ago because I wanted to help out in my community and there weren’t many opportunities for young people. As I started getting more involved in issues that affected me I felt very unheard - most of the decisions making felt like it was left up to the adults. At first, I wasn’t sure where to start but as soon as I heard about YouthTALK and what they do, I knew instantly that I wanted to be a part of their team as mental health and education is something I’ve always been passionate about. In YouthTALK, I was given opportunities to make decisions about issues surrounding mental health that affect me and my peers- I got to be in control of things that were happening in my community. YouthTALK is a place to raise awareness about mental health and provide resources for the community, but it is also so much more than that. It is a place where people can speak freely about mental health without judgment or stigma, and a place that pushes others through new learning experiences to create meaningful change in our community. I feel that I’ve grown alongside YouthTALK, and YouthTALK has helped me tremendously in getting the confidence I need to speak up for myself and advocate for what is right.

MOLLY

I am Molly, I joined YouthTALK in Grade 9 after being in a program they had facilitated. I joined this group wanting to significantly impact other students’ with their current and future mental health. YouthTALK is very beneficial in knowing more about our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. I want others my age to know how to deal with problems rather than taking turns that could change their life, or as said, taking things too far. Throughout YouthTALK I learned more about stress, my physical and mental health, and why this is so important to learn. Joining YouthTALK gave me a new perspective of life, and now I want my fellow peers to educate themselves, and others too.

ALBA

ARIQ

I am Ariq Hossain and I am in grade 11. I have been a member of the YouthTALK association for about 3 years. I became pleased to help and improve youth with their mental state. My intention was to spread awareness of the essence of mental health as it is highly important. It affects our daily lives because we experience different feelings. People may experience a lot of negative feelings in their lives, and they can rise to extreme conditions. I wanted to contribute to reducing these negative feelings and help society in this manner. I joined YouthTALK and collaborated in forming informative and engaging activities and presentations regarding this matter and allowed me to believe I was supporting the community.

SARAH

I'm Sarah and I joined YouthTALK in grade 11! The main reason I joined was to learn more about mental health and to inform the community about mental health. I think it's important to spread more awareness about mental health and subjects surrounding those topics as many people avoid talking about it. I have already learned so much and met so many cool people by being part of YouthTALK! In YouthTALK, you gain so many useful skills that can help you grow as a person, and I am so happy that I made the decision to join!

Hi, I'm Alba! I'm in grade 9 and joined YouthTALK to reach my goal of getting 500 volunteer hours at the end of high school! I think learning about mental health is important because that awareness can educate us about other people and also can help us take care of ourselves. Being aware of mental health is loving yourself and loving the people around you.

HALEY

GANEET

Hello, my name is Haley and I am currently in grade 10. During high school, one of the main things we focus on is acquiring our volunteer hours. It can sometimes become stressful and overwhelming. However, when I joined YouthTALK, it felt more like a fun, safe community to be apart of rather than a volunteer opportunity. I always forget this because of how much fun I have and how much I look forward to each meeting. YouthTALK is teaching me many life skills, giving me the chance to speak about things I am passionate about, and allowing me to meet all kinds of new people. I am so grateful for this group and I wouldn't change my decision to join for the world. YouthTALK has created an incredible space for me to partake in, and I am so glad I get to be a part of this community.

Hi I am Ganeet and I am in Grade 10. I joined YouthTALK because I wanted to help make a positive impact that will help my community and peers. YouthTALK help encourages me to build a positive mindset and be aware of my mental health as well as helping build a positive environment and help others that may need it. I always look forward to increase my knowledge on mental health and help spread awareness for mental health because as a person that isn’t always open to expressing my feeling and opinions and being very closed off about those things, YouthTAlK has helped learn that it is important to share my feeling and opinions and that there is someone that can always help and motivate you.