We want to empower you.
At MHED we gather to build community,
to educate, and to eradicate stigma in mental health.
We want to empower you.
At MHED we gather to build community,
to educate, and to eradicate stigma in mental health.
MHED 2023 Behind Happy Faces
MHED 2023 Behind Happy Faces welcomed guest speak, Ross Szabo to our stage.
Thank you to everyone who came to the Eglinton Grand Theatre on October 11 to hear Ross’ message. “Mental health isn’t about having a problem,” he told our audience of several hundred people, “it’s about how you address challenges in your life.”
Wellness Director at the Geffen Academy at UCLA, Ross is a celebrated speaker, advocate and author of two books, Behind Happy Faces and A Kids Book About Anxiety. He is on a mission to make the discussion of mental health more approachable and believes we need to care for our mental health the same way we take care of our physical health. Ross took us through his personal story of what brought him to this work and then coached us on themes such as why people don’t reach out for help, the difference between mental health disorders and the human emotions that we all share, and coping mechanisms we can employ in times of adversity.
In addition to Ross speaking at our event in the evening, he spoke the next morning to a group of grade 10 students at a local high school, who hung on his every word. Thank you to Ross, for all he taught us and for the work he continues to do. MHED looks forward to building on a partnership going forward.
You can learn more about Ross and his work here.
Mental health issues affect us all. It is almost impossible these days to find a family, a classroom, a hockey team and more who are not affected. We know that one in five kids experience some level of struggle with their mental health, and that Covid has only exacerbated the problem.
Parents, please know you are not alone. Teachers, we know you are seeing anxiety and depression in your classrooms. And to the front line workers with our children — you are the camp counsellors, hockey coaches, dance teachers and more who spend time with our kids and play such an incredible role in their development.
Let’s all gather together at MHED events and empower each other.
MHED brings experts and people with lived experience together. Together we learn from each other and together we are stronger.
Our annual event occurs in Toronto in October, with online seminars throughout the year. Watch this space for what is coming next.
