A Grade 8 student at Brockton School hopes that by sharing her personal experiences with mental illness with the members of her school as well as the greater community, she’ll be able to bring increased awareness to the issue, reduce stigma as well as help others of all ages facing similar challenges.
For the second year in a row, 14-year-old Jasmine Irving is leading a Mental Health Awareness Campaign at her Lynn Valley school, supported by fellow students, staff and her family.
This year’s initiative has a stress management theme and is set for May 2 to 6, during the Canadian Mental Health Association’s Mental Health Week, and includes events and fundraisers for students as well as two evening events open to members of the general public.
When asked whether it’s an intimidating prospect to tell her story, Jasmine, during a meeting with the North Shore news Monday at her school, is quick to say no. “It’s easy for me.”
At age 10, Jasmine was diagnosed with bipolar disorder type 2. Her health history includes having had a rare disease twice as a toddler as well as living with hypothyroidism, clinical anxiety, sleep disorder and ADHD. Adding to her health challenges, in early 2015 she experienced two episodes of dystonia as a result of a wrong antibiotic being prescribed, putting her antipsychotic at a toxic level.
While a difficult year, Jasmine stayed positive and is currently thriving. She’s an avid reader, movie buff and snowshoer who recently started taking vocal lessons. She also enjoys school and spending time with family and friends.
From the beginning, her family has held the firm belief that it’s important to be upfront and honest about Jasmine’s challenges.
“It’s Jasmine’s choice, she wants all of her to be known and to be out there,” says her mother, Brenda Irving.
“And to be accepted,” adds Jasmine.
“It’s always been driven by her and I can’t explain the emotions it puts through me,” Brenda, who assists Jasmine in organizing her annual Mental Health Awareness Campaign – referring to herself as her daughter’s CEO – goes on to say. “Being proud of her is such a small part of it. It’s great to see this strength, perseverance and resiliency in her and her ability to say to others, ‘You know, things can be pretty tough but at the end of the day you can still get through and make the most of life.’”
Jasmine’s efforts are also a source of inspiration for her Brockton peers as well as staff and teachers.
“I love that Jasmine’s done this. I love that it’s student-driven, particularly,” says school counsellor Jules Payne.
“I just think the more people are aware and the more knowledgeable students are about (mental health issues), the easier it is to support students like Jasmine and everyone else because Jasmine’s certainly not alone,” she adds.
Payne, along with Jamie Morris, Brockton’s head of learning resource and student services co-ordinator, are helping Jasmine with her campaign.
“A lot of people focus on physical disabilities or physical ailments or things like that but the mental health side of things is sometimes not really spoken about. But in order to support the whole child, that’s a huge part of it. We just want everyone to feel safe and supported because that way they can learn best and achieve their best potential. So I think increasing info like this and having the students lead it is really important to embracing what we are at Brockton,” says Morris.
A major component of Brockton’s Mental Health Awareness Campaign will be an information booth set up in the school lobby for the duration of the week. This year, Jasmine has more than 100 pieces of information, flyers and resources available for students and their families, when visiting the school, to peruse and take home.
Last year’s Mental Health Awareness Campaign raised more than $600 for the CMHA Steps Youth Program. This year Jasmine hopes to once again support the program, which uses recreational activities to help youths in grades 8 to 12 dealing with depression and anxiety. Fundraisers will include mental health awareness bracelet sales, a fresh fruit and cookie sale, and a raffle to win a stress management kit.
Also, last year Jasmine’s family donated 25 books on different aspects of mental health to the school library and this year plans to donate 55 more.
Throughout the week, Brockton students will listen to presentations from a number of experts on mental health topics.
Community members at large are invited to two free evening presentations at the school including: The Benefits of Mindfulness Meditation by yoga practitioner Jeff Grace Tuesday, May 3 from 7 to 8 p.m. (bring a yoga mat); and Talking With Your Child/Youth About Mental Health by Rae Morris, a social worker and individual, couple and family therapist, Wednesday, May 4 from 6 to 7 p.m. To RSVP to either
event, email [email protected].
When asked what she hopes people take away from this year’s campaign, Jasmine says that mental illness is “hard and it’s not easy. For people who haven’t got it diagnosed yet, be nice to them because they may not ever be as lucky and have a chance like I had.”
