My name is Alex, and I am a Grade 12 student at Carson Graham Secondary.
On Nov. 15, I attended the Talk at the Top summit on Grouse Mountain, an annual event co-ordinated by Jack.org, a non-profit organization that helps fight stigma around youth mental health.
Jack.org has chapters in schools spread across Canada, which are clubs run by students, essentially branches of the organization. I have been a part of my school’s chapter for two years now, and I can barely begin to explain how much the club does in our North Shore community, how inspiring it is to be in it and how much I have learned. A wonderful starting point though, is discussing Talk at the Top.
Talk at the Top was emceed by Carson Graham’s Jack.org chapter leaders and included inspiring presenters and passionate Jack.org staff.
I participated in a leadership workshop and another workshop about building diverse and inclusive movements. I chose these because I co-lead my school’s gay-straight alliance, and I wanted to learn more ways I can help the club be successful. These workshops were really effective. In just an hour, I learned key components to leadership and group work, how important listening and creating respectful and open environments are, and how valuable differing perspectives and truthfulness are. That’s only scraping the top of the iceberg.
Not only were the workshops and presentations educational and inspiring, but the people I had the pleasure to meet and spend time with added such a layer of positivity and warmth. I will always enjoy spending time with my friends at events like this, laughs with fun break activities and meaningful discussions.
I also got the opportunity to meet new people and connect with groups I may have not been able to without the summit. Through discussions, I got to hear their unique thoughts and ideas on subjects like stigma and how we can all help in our community. Getting these perspectives from other high-school kids is so valuable. I am thankful for meeting and hearing from all of them, even if just briefly.
On top of that, the staff were welcoming, kind and caring. They made the environment comfortable and safe for all of us, while keeping us engaged. We weren’t just an audience, but rather a part of it. We also got to listen to great presenters. One speaker, Francis Arevalo, had a message that I won’t forget. He spoke of his own struggles with mental health, his path to where he is now, and shared with us some of his music with beautiful and powerful lyrics. His story and how he shares it inspires those who hear it to never give up, he showed all of us that so much is possible. He is strong, brave, and very talented. Seriously, his music is amazing.
Talk at the Top is important because it gets youth involved and gives us an outlet to share our thoughts and experiences. It also helps educate us on what we can do to make our communities a better place for everyone, in little and big ways. If you’re a high school student, I would highly suggest joining your school’s jack.org chapter, or starting one if it doesn’t exist. Attend Talk at the Top if you can, or check out the Jack.org website to learn more and find other events you can attend that might be of interest to you or benefit your local community.
