A group of Gleneagle secondary students is organizing an event to inspire hope and start conversations about mental health.
The third annual Talk to Me event will be held Friday, May 6, beginning at 6 p.m. in the Coquitlam school's multi-purpose room.
"We really want community members to be there, we want to invite mayors, city councillors, students, their families and teachers from schools all over the district," said Emma Juergensen, a leadership student who is one of the organizers. "Our goal is to start conversation within the school and community and to break down the stigma around mental health."
The evening has a strong lineup of speakers, including Coquitlam's Dave Jonsson, a plane crash survivor and motivational speaker; Sharon Villars, founder of Bootstraps Lifeskills; and David Emerald, the bestselling author of The Empowerment Dynamic. As well, there will be presenters from the Mood Disorders Association speakers' bureau and a slam poetry performance by Gleneagle students.
Juergensen said the event is being held to encourage people to feel more comfortable about dealing with mental health issues because so many young people are affected.
"We believe that it's important, especially because there's been a lot of new information that the 16 to 25 years demographic are quite significantly affected by mental illness."
Tickets are $5 for students and $10 for adults, with proceeds going to the Mood Disorders Association of BC; they can be purchased at the school's office or by emailing [email protected]. Gleneagle is located at 1195 Lansdowne Dr., Coquitlam.
