Vanessa is a mental health advocate who is passionate about changing the stigma surrounding the thoughts, attitudes and feelings towards mental health and illness through education. Vanessa has been inspired by both the people around her and life experiences that have led her to work alongside others who share that same passion to create social and cultural change. Vanessa recently obtained her HBSc in Psychology at the University of Toronto and wishes to use this knowledge to change the way people think about mental health. As a young person, Vanessa believes that peer-to-peer education is a strong value she can use to eliminate stigma within the space of vulnerable youth, which will lead to a future of increased openness for future generations.
To Vanessa, a mental health revolution would involve a world where mental health is openly discussed and equally valued as physical health. She wishes to collectively work towards mental health movements in every school community, and to see open conversations taking place with family, friends and coworkers. With the belief and fact that we all have mental health, now is the time for us to unite together and support a movement that affects us all.