The Girl Guides of Canada host a candle lighting ceremony designed to promote mental health at Nathan Phillips Square.
The ceremony will mark the beginning of Mighty Minds: a new national program designed to encourage discourse on the mental health struggles that disproportionately plague young women. The program, created in collaboration with experts at The Psychology Foundation of Canada and Kids Help Phone, aims to educate girls as young as five about the perils of mental health issues. The program teaches girls activities believed to promote the development of mental health resilience and a comprehension of the stigmas that currently pollute discussion of the subject.
Sarah Kiriliuk is the national manager for marketing and communications with Girl Guides Canada. She says that candle-lighting has a long history in the organization. "One candle represents an idea, and that one candle lights two candles, and those two candles light two more candles," Kiriliuk said, "Until there are enough candles lit that we are bringing attention, and bringing light to an issue, and there is enough candlelight that it won't get blown out in a windstorm."
Speaking at the event will be Cheryl Pounder, a two-time Olympic gold medalist in Canadian Women's Hockey. "I really loved that they were getting children from a young age to understand their emotions, and try to get rid of the stigma associated with mental health," Pounder said. "Being the mother of two young girls, the coach of a woman's hockey team and coming from a sport that was predominantly male growing up, I felt the importance and need to attach myself to it, because I recognize the statistics for mental health and wellness throughout the country."
Research from the Boys and Girls Club of Canada show that one in seven youth struggle with a mental health issue severe enough to inhibit development and compromise their ability to take part in daily life.
"Everyone has a story, and for me, I'm going to share a little bit of my journey," Pounder said. "I believe everybody has to stand on top of their own story."