On the last Sunday of July 2020, over 50 aspiring youth were brought together from across continents to approach the ever-important matter of mental health. As a consistent issue of importance throughout the years, its prominence now more than ever compelled the topic in question to be discussed.
Following customary introductions of the forum guidelines and schedule, we heard from our first group of speakers, Zach White, Cindy Ngo, and Stella Smyslo. Their focus in the broad topic at hand was based on connections or the lack thereof in today’s time, and what impacts this had on one’s mental wellbeing. Being from the Northwest Territories, a considerably secluded area, and facing the added challenges of queerness and ostracization from the general public, our speakers offer insight into the difficulties of building connections and finding like people. Through their speeches we can begin to see that isolation, although fairly new to most, is a concept queer youth have become fairly accustomed to, given that they are among the most marginalized groups in society. The underlying theme throughout their presentation always came back to the importance of supportive and positive relations, perhaps something we have always known but not fully understood the sheer magnitude of.
Upon hearing the authentic experiences and knowledge of our first group of speakers, we split into breakout rooms to further facilitate discussion and have opportunities to exchange ideas. The wide-ranging subjects considered included personal accounts of COVID-19’s impact, a pandemic’s role in a lack of identity, and mental health taboos and misconceptions in society.
The second half of our forum began with the expertise of Edmonton Students’ Union President and Student Trustee, Josh Karathra. He spoke precisely and intuitively on current issues facing the general student population, particularly emphasizing the priority of mental health within schools. The key takeaways of Josh’s presentation were linked inextricably to implementation, with distinct calls to action that were readily attainable in our current lives. These included the monitoring of mental health within our circle and personal connections, the generation of new and better ideas to mitigate the effects of mental health, and the voicing of those ideas to the broader audience, whether that be within a smaller group, the board level, or even the legal landscape.
In the second round of breakout rooms, participating youth had the chance to meet different people to be introduced to viewpoints and ways of thinking that were previously unheard of. Common lines of discussion that emerged included the impacts of COVID-19 on student life, comparisons of institutions’ mental health services across the globe, and the deliberations of new systems and resources that may benefit mental health.
The virtual event was noteworthy in its building of a worldwide youth community, marked by the authenticity and masterfulness of guest speakers, and made possible by a collective generation of voices. A sincere thank you to all who attended our first-ever forum; we look forward to seeing this extraordinary community continue to grow in the near future!
