The conversation about mental health at U of T continued at Hart House last Wednesday, January 22 as the Schizophrenia Society of Ontario (SSO) hosted a talk about its new initiative, “Sound Off.”
Sound Off was founded three years ago by third-year U of T student Mona Abadi, in an effort to reach out to youth across Ontario and create an open dialogue about mental health issues.
The iniative aims to give youth an opportunity to share their stories with one another and have their voices heard in a public setting.
Following an introduction by former STOMP performer Troy Sexton, the presentation became a panel discussion involving various speakers, each of whom had experience dealing with mental health issues. Other speakers on the panel included Trevian Britton from the Toronto Youth cabinet; Ron Mustafaa, a Canadian actor who appeared on the television show Skins; Ayesha Jabbar and Alicia Raimundo who are both members of the SSO Youth Advisory council.
Speakers were asked about the accessibility of mental health services, and the existing barriers surrounding mental health in the public sphere. Britton said that youth have to realize they are capable of overcoming these barriers by speaking out.
Another issue raised at the talk was the perception of mental health in the media and in pop culture. Mustafaa explained that the media often depicts people with mental health issues as violent in an over sensationalized manner, and that violence and mental health are not in fact correlated.
The presentation finished off with a pair of spoken word artists, Lishai Peel and Greg Frankson, and a performance by the RHSA Dance Company, concerning the struggles of mental health.
After the event, Abadi explained that this program was extremely important for kickstarting the discussion on mental health among youth. “We want to know what youth think is working and not working to support their mental health and what services they think they need. As a student who has been under a lot of pressure, I know how important it is to receive support from your university. In finding out what it is that youth need, we want to advocate for those supports to be put in place so that every student can have the best opportunity to be healthy and achieve their goals.”
