MHED Camp Edition

Thank you to everyone who attended our MHED Camp Edition event on May 18/2023 in Toronto.

We had a wonderful discussion with our experts about preparing our campers for a successful summer.

Thank you to Simon Wolle, Executive Director of the Jewish Camp Council of Toronto and on-site Camp Director at Camp Northland-B’nai Brith. To Julia Glowinski, Registered Clinical Social Worker and Certified Sleep Specialist, and to Aviva Millstone, Co-Director, Camp Ramah in Canada.

Thank you also to Leanne who was a panelist and shared her "Ten Commandments" to prepare your kids for camp.

To watch the recorded event and to read some of the information that was shared, click the link below.

We wish everyone attending camp this summer a happy and healthy experience.

Camp Edition

MindUP for MHED 2022

What a night!

This year we shared the stage with MindUP - a not-for-profit organization founded by the Goldie Hawn Foundation to help children develop the knowledge and tools they need to strive in school and in life. The evidence-based MindUP program was developed by a team of experts grounded upon four scientific pillars: neuroscience, mindful awareness, social-emotional learning (SEL) and positive psychology. The event saw two powerful and enlightening speakers take the stage. Dr. Jean M. Clinton, BMus, MD, FRCP(C), Clinical Professor McMaster University, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences explained the science behind MindUP. Dido Balla, Head of Education for MindUP, introduced our audience to the simple MindUP skills and every participant received a year-long membership to the MindUP for Life online platform. The event was presented by Project Give Back and also featured a few remarks from its founder, Ellen Schwartz.

the power of the personal story

October 17, 2021

Virtual

The Power of the Personal Story

This MHED was all about the personal story and featured This Is My Brave, a not for profit organization in the US where people tell their mental health stories on stage shows in cities across the US. This Is My Brave has caught the attention of everyone from Oprah, to the Washington Post, to the Today Show and we were lucky enough to have Jenn Marshall join us in conversation virtually from her home in Virginia. We then had three of our own local community members tell their stories involving three areas that impacted us most during the pandemic – anxiety, disordered eating, and addiction.

Speakers

October 17, 2021

Jennifer Marshall, Co-Founder and Executive Director, This Is My Brave
Rami Elzas, lived experience speaker
Seth Zosky, lived experience speaker
Lisa Sheinfeld Boltman, lived experience speaker

October 25, 2020

Virtual

Dr. Jean Twenge, PhD American psychologist and researcherIn our first COVID MHED, we pivoted on-line and had the pleasure of speaking with Dr. Twenge, a world-renowned authority on generational differences, about her current book: iGen – Why Today’s Super-Connected Kids are Growing Up Less Rebellious, More Tolerant, Less Happy & Completely Unprepared for Adulthood. Dr. Twenge joined us virtually from her home in California and fresh off appearances on CNN and other major news networks as she spoke to audiences about the effect of Covid on teens.

October 27, 2019

Beth Tzedec Congregation, Toronto

What I Wish You Knew

This year’s theme was all about knowledge and educating our 400+ audience on what it is like to live with mental health issues. Donna Green, Ori Goldstein, Ari Zaretsky and our own Leanne Matlow came together as a panel to answer questions on treatment, addiction, outreach and more. Peter Akman of W5 and CTV news moderated the panel.

We brought Ryan Golt back to give us an update on how things were going in his life and we invited Jacqueline Viner, a 20-year old University of Toronto Classics major who is also a poet, and songwriter, who lives life with bipolar disorder.

Speakers:

Donna Green, Founder of Stella’s Place
Ori Goldstein, President of JACS
Leanne Matlow, CBT counsellor and educator
Ari Zaretsky, Psychiatrist in Chief, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
Ryan Golt, lived experience speaker
Jacqueline Viner, lived experience speaker

October 28, 2018

Beth Tzedec Congregation, Toronto

Cognitive Therapy for Adolescents in School Settings

Dr. Creed took an audience of 400+, largely made up of teachers and parents, through the learnings of cognitive behavioural therapy. It was the first time that anyone from the Beck Institute travelled outside the US to speak to an audience.

Our lived experience speaker was Eli Brown, a young man who has founded Shine The Light On – a company that makes clothing and items geared toward combating shame and stigma associated with mental health issues. Eli is someone who lives with depression and anxiety and began Shine The Light On as a direct result of his experiences.

Speakers:

Dr. Torrey Creed, PhD Adjunct Faculty, Beck Institute for Cognitive Behavior Therapy
Eli Brown, lived experience speaker

September 17, 2017

Chat Hebrew Academy of Toronto

MHED BEGINS

When we gathered 200+ people for our inaugural event in 2017, it was with the intention of bringing together community, to educate about mental health, and to eradicate stigma. We have held true to that premise ever since.

Our first event featured Dr. Ari Zaretsky who lectured on mental health, depression and anxiety; identifying symptoms and proper treatment plans. We also heard from Dr. Mark Sinyor who told us about his three-month curriculum to help students improve their mental health literacy through the book Harry Potter and the Prisoner Of Azkaban as it deals with issues including bullying and depression. Using it to help students develop resiliency and coping skills, we are proud that the program was included in the curriculum of over 60 schools following MHED.

Our lived experience speaker was Ryan Golt, a student at Concordia University in Montreal who began to experience crippling anxiety and founded wellMTL while at Concordia; a service aimed at helping people overcome social and financial barriers of taking care of their mental health. Ryan most recently completed a one year Masters in Public Health at Harvard where he was also involved in a program called Ignite Mental Health.

Speakers:

Dr. Ari Zaretsky, Psychiatrist in Chief, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
Dr. Mark Sinyor, Psychiatrist, Suicide Prevention expert, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
Ryan Golt, lived experience speaker

Mental Health Empowerment Day

MHED Camp Edition