Anjana Sudharshan (she / her) is passionate about collaborating with other like-minded individuals to help spread awareness about mental health and well-being. Her own experiences have led her to want to connect with and help other youth, and reduce stigma surrounding mental health. Anjana is currently studying life sciences at McMaster University, with a focus in public health and community engagement. She’s excited to continue working on youth-led mental health initiatives with the National Youth Council to help improve access to mental health resources and create safer spaces for youth to express themselves. In her free time, she enjoys birdwatching and spending time outside, as well as singing.

Breanna Laggo (she / her) hopes for more, equal and affordable access to care for equity-deserving communities, and that makes her passionate about youth mental health and well-being. As a soon-to-be teacher, she wants the students in her class to feel free to be themselves, without stigma. She’s a coffee enthusiast, dog lover and enjoys creating art.

David Fan (he / him) is passionate about youth mental health and well-being because of his experiences volunteering, and his own personal use of Kids Help Phone’s services. He has volunteered for Kids Help Phone since he was in Grade 6 (eight years). It really helped fuel his love of working to promote youth mental health. In his free time, his hobbies are dog walking and playing baseball.

When Fazayl Zahra (she / her) assumed a leadership role in her school’s student council a few years ago, she realized that much of the student body was struggling due to the lack of mental health resources available in her small rural community. Ever since, Fazayl has become passionate about advocating for those who are affected by the disparity in mental health resources across the country. She decided to join the National Youth Council because it was the perfect opportunity for her to act as a voice for her community and make an impact on a national level. Besides her mental health advocacy, Fazayl is also involved in other health and wellness initiatives in her community, including those related to nutrition. A fun fact about Fazayl is that she’s bilingual, as she can fluently speak English and Urdu. In her spare time, she likes to play basketball, read and spend time with her birds.

James Ehiagwina (he / him) is deeply committed to bringing about change in his community’s youth mental health landscape. He aspires to be a voice of change and support for people who are new to Canada and may be struggling with mental health challenges. James has worked as a youth intern for the YMCA’s Newcomer Youth Leadership Development Program and as a member of OneChild Network’s Youth Advisory Squad. He aspires to grow as a youth advocate and leader on the National Youth Council. James enjoys reading novels and taking photographs, and is now learning to play the piano in his spare time.

Joshua Chooi (he / him) realized the importance of mental well-being in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Through his own mental health struggles, it was ultimately the people he reached out to and the network of support he formed that helped him the most. Joshua first got involved with Kids Help Phone volunteering as a crisis responder for Kids Help Phone’s texting service, which has been one of his most rewarding experiences. As part of the National Youth Council, he enjoys learning and working with like-minded individuals. Currently in university majoring in psychology, Joshua hopes to get involved in mental health research. In his free time, he loves playing tennis, drawing, listening to music and spending time with his dogs.

Laetitia Satam (she / her) has been volunteering with Kids Help Phone since she was 12 years old and has been part of the National Youth Council since she was 14. She currently serves as the council’s Co-Chair. She has lived all across Canada, from British Columbia to Newfoundland, and has observed the inequalities in mental health resources across the country. As a person of colour, she’s especially passionate about improving mental health care for members of equity-deserving populations and remote communities. In her free time, you can find her running, cooking or being outdoors!

Maxine Joly-Chevrier (she / her) cares about mental wellness and well-being. She believes mental health unites us all. She’s passionate about community engagement. At school, Maxine studied health sciences and biology, which brought her to study medicine at the University of Montreal. She believes mental health is as important as physical health. Therefore, she strongly advocates for that cause. In her free time, she enjoys playing sports, and she loves outdoor activities. Fun fact about her: she’s also bilingual — she speaks both English and French fluently.

Myles Mattila (he / him) first became involved with promoting mental health and well-being as a hockey player growing up. At the age of 14, Myles recognized the limited resources in his community and wanted to ensure individuals knew where to get support if they were struggling. He worked with BC Hockey and various hockey clubs to provide mental health awareness events to raise awareness and break down the stigma surrounding mental health. When Myles turned 19, he started a not-for-profit called “MindRight for Athletes Society”, which is designed to educate players, coaches, parents and supporters about their mental health and how to support one another. Myles is currently enrolled in the MBA program at Thompson Rivers University. In his spare time, you can usually find him on Lake Okanagan in Kelowna promoting water sport activities and operating an instructional wake surf company.

Having gone through a pandemic as a youth, Paniz Arbabi (she / her) knows personally the toll it has taken on young people, and many other demographics. This is what motivates her to help as much as she can, hoping that more and more people get the help that they need. Paniz first got connected to Kids Help Phone through a poster at her school. She reached out to see if there were any opportunities to help others and decided to join the National Youth Council. Paniz enjoys art and figure skating in her free time. She also likes going to the gym and trying new things.

Parth Patel (he / him) realized a few years back that he wasn’t actually comfortable talking about mental health and has worked to change that for him and others in similar situations ever since. Parth first became involved with Kids Help Phone by volunteering for Kids Help Phone’s texting service where he saw how much of an impact an everyday person can have on someone else. He joined the National Youth Council to expand that impact to more than just one person at a time. Parth enjoys playing volleyball and camping when he has free time.

Paula (she / her) is invested in mental health advocacy because of her own personal experiences, and she became very involved with youth through teaching rock climbing. This led to her continuing passion for youth well-being. Her work with youth for around five years as a rock climbing instructor and camp counsellor allowed her to have a diverse perspective on youth experiences. In her bachelor’s degree, she did a project on inclusivity and figure skating. This, combined with her work experience, led her to join the National Youth Council. In her spare time, she enjoys video game reselling, soccer and scrapbooking.

Raissa Amany (she / her) is pursuing an undergraduate degree in health sciences at the University of Ottawa. Having personal experience with the Ontario mental health system, Raissa continues to advocate for the improvement of accessibility, equity and youth engagement within the sector. She’s also the Co-Executive Director of the Young Canadians Roundtable on Health and holds various leadership and advisory positions within the mental health and paediatric healthcare sector. In her free time, she enjoys binge-watching medical shows, drinking bubble tea and trying out the latest food trends.

Ray Manji (he / him) knows that for people who identify as male, there can be stigma around talking about mental health and seeking support. As someone who identifies as male, he knows personally how hard it can feel to open up or reach out, and he strives to make sure everyone is comfortable with their emotions, themselves and getting help. Playing sports his entire life, he also knows how sports may negatively affect one’s mental health, and so he wants to reduce the stigma associated with mental health in sports. He wants everyone to know that it’s OK to not be OK, and that there’s help right around the corner. At school, Ray has taken many leadership roles as club executive or a member of student council and works toward making his community a better place. He volunteers at his local women’s shelter and is a swim instructor at a nearby university! In his free time, Ray enjoys lifting weights, watching a LOT of soccer and playing video games.

Rick Aiyer’s (he / him / il) youth on the move — across Canada as well as Europe, East Asia and the Middle East — exposed him to the continuing inequities and barriers in access to mental health services on both a national and global level, particularly among equity-deserving and rural communities. He first began advocating for improved services and de-stigmatizing mental health in high school, as the student representative on his school’s Board of Governors. He has continued his advocacy through Kids Help Phone since 2019. A university student studying law, Rick is a “Big Brother” mentor to first-year students, which often involves having conversations about finding a healthy balance between academics and wellness. Outside school, Rick has recently been involved with a Western Québec non-profit that supports immigrant and racialized women. He previously served on the RCMP’s National Youth Advisory Committee, where he supported the development of the RCMP’s youth engagement programs. Rick is fluently bilingual in English and French, and functional in Mandarin, Hindi and Tamil. He’s an avid skier and enjoys touring farmers’ markets in the summer.

Rukshika Krishnamoorthy (she / her) is passionate about cultural diversity. She has seen people face racism and seen the way it affects people’s mental wellness and well-being. She wishes to support people facing racism to help minimize its effect on their mental health and well-being. At school, she’s the president of a cultural club, Zaga-Gon Cultural, which shines light upon diversity and allows people to celebrate their culture. Rukshika’s hobbies include dancing, painting and reading. She also dances a cultural-dance called Bharatanatyam and loves to put on mini shows with her siblings.

Sanjeevani Kumar (she / her) is passionate about mental health because of her own mental health struggles and wants to be able to give back and support other youth. She wants youth to be a part of the conversation when it comes to making services for them. Sanjeevani’s work on the Ottawa Youth Engagement Committee (OYEC) and many other youth initiatives led her to being a part of the National Youth Council. Sanjeevani loves art and dance! She has had art exhibited in Europe and performed a dance called Odissi on Parliament Hill.

Serena (she / her) wants to de-stigmatize mental illness and educate others about it since she has witnessed the effects of mental health struggles in many ways. Being a person of colour, she’s especially committed to enhancing mental health services for people in isolated communities and members of equity-deserving populations. She has had her art displayed in a gallery, and she enjoys swimming in her free time.

Sophie Kelley (she / her) has always been passionate about mental health, informed by her personal experience, and this passion deepened after conducting neuroscience research at her university. Her experience researching neurological disorders such as brain injuries and Alzheimer’s has connected her to the mental health cause. Outside of school and Kids Help Phone, Sophie enjoys drawing and spending time outside.

Hannan (she / her) is an award-winning policy researcher with a successful track record in citizen engagement and mobilization. As an undergraduate student at the University of Alberta 2019, Hannan studied a dual BA in Psychology and Sociology. Her research explored the importance of understanding the impacts of historical and contemporary oppression and trauma on policy development and decision-making.

Currently, Hannan is a law student at the English Common law faculty. Hannan has advised political parties, consulted organizations and writes about the need for an intersectional and critical race analysis on a freelance basis. She has been elected by her peers to be a board member on the University of Ottawa’s board of governors and has recently also joined the Canadian Council of Muslim Women’s board of directors.

Evelyn Bradley (she / her) is the owner of the diversity, equity and inclusion consulting company Bradley Consulting. She works with non-profits, businesses and universities to develop materials that centre on culturally competent programming. Her passion for food, cultural diversity and the community is rooted in every aspect of her personal identity.

Kafiya Mudey (she / her) was born in Somalia and grew up in Toronto. Kafiya is an activist who organized with Black Lives Matter – Vancouver, created and held events like Know Your Rights, A Night of Black Magic, and March on Pride. Kafiya has also organized with the Hogans Alley Society and held discussions and art tours. Kafiya has a strong interest in advocacy, protection of people’s privacy, rights, the arts and so much more.

Lianne Hannaway (she / her) is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA), an experienced financial executive and an investor. Lianne helps first-generation business owners bringing in six figures or more (but not seeing that in their bank account) achieve financial freedom by taking control of their business finances. She is a Board Member and Treasurer at The Equality Fund, a groundbreaking collaboration that supports women’s rights organizations and feminist movements globally with a backing of $300 million from the Canadian government. She is also a board member of Kids Help Phone, Canada’s only 24/7 national support service providing professional online and telephone counselling and volunteer-led, text-based support to youth across Canada in both English and French. Previously, Lianne was an advisory partner at KPMG and held a variety of senior finance roles at TMX Group.

Martha (she / her) is a Black organizer passionate about activism, community empowerment and mental health, especially among the Black community.

Martha is currently based in the Anishinabe / Ottawa region, although her heart is in Tio’tia:ke / Montreal. As a member of the Black Healing Fund, she focuses on translation, finance administration and grant application.

Mdu (he / him) is a current Master of Global Affairs candidate at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at the University of Toronto. He works at the Canadian Council for Youth Prosperity helping support the creation and enhancement of infrastructure to support black youth pursuing and in the employment space. Outside of school he enjoys reading about finance and economics, and looks to become a strategy consultant in the long-term.

In 2019, Melissa Booker (she / her) completed her MHE at the University of Waterloo, following the completion of her BA in Health Studies at the University of Toronto, St. George campus. To fulfill her graduate requirements, Melissa completed her practicum at the AIDS Bereavement and Resiliency Program of Ontario and obtained a teaching assistantship for the Foundations for Program Evaluation course (HLTH614). Her core research interests include: mental health and access to culturally safe care for black and LGBTQ+ populations, as well as HIV and sexual health care epidemiology.

Melissa’s undergraduate research focused on the barriers to the utilization of sexual health care services faced by women who have sex with women living in Canada. She then began working as a research assistant at St. Michael’s hospital with the Centre for Global Health Research, supporting large-scale epidemiological studies that aimed to prevent mortality and improve health outcomes in lower and middle-income countries. Today, she continues to strengthen her research skills and demonstrate her commitment to health equity and social justice by volunteering at CANVAS Arts Action Programs, an arts-based not-for-profit organization that promotes the unlearning of gender-based violence, sexual violence, homophobia and transphobia.

Neyna (he / him) was born in Ghana and raised in Toronto where he currently resides. He is a Consultative Digital Media Professional with 10+ years of experience within Advertising and Media industries – including Rogers Sports & Media, St. Joseph Media and now currently at Spotify, to name a few. His areas of expertise include strategic media consultation, identifying revenue upselling opportunities, cultivating key relationships and growing an organization through new business development. As a young Black man having worked in corporate for most of his career, Neyna is fully aware of the lack of Black representation within the corporate environment, specifically within leadership positions at Advertising and Media companies. As a leader, mentorship is a key focus area for Neyna. He’s helped out numerous BIPOC folks who’ve reached out to him as they navigate their own careers around Advertising and Media. His hope is to one day see more diverse representation across the Director-level roles and above within corporate organizations.

Tee Garnett (they / them) has been developing equity and inclusion-based services with marginalized communities and programs for over two decades. Tee’s roles have all been in support of bringing attention to inherent systemic barriers. Tee’s work as a senior executive provides the expertise required when supporting leaders in change management, yet their genuine openness invites anyone to be comfortable and feel included and belonging. Tee is committed to offering transformational equity, which involves providing the psycho-educational cognitive support to leaders who are interested in creating more equitable and safer workplaces.

While completing her Psychology Degree at the University of Windsor, Tyjondah started her career in gaming in 1994 with Casino Windsor. She began working for OLG in 1999 and has held management positions at OLG Slots at Mohawk Racetrack and OLG Slots at Woodbine Racetrack. During her 20+ years with OLG, Tyjondah has had progressive leadership roles.

She is currently the Director, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion within People and Culture. She oversees OLG’s Diversity & Inclusion Council and other Employee Resource Groups (ERGs). Tyjondah is accountable for the Equity Diversity and Inclusion strategy for the organization and helps to create a sense of belonging for OLG’s employees.

In 2019, Tyjondah received the Vaike Murusalu Empowerment Award at OLG. Her dedication for leadership and empowering people to reach their goals has been her driving force with every position she undertakes.

In 2020, Tyjondah became one of Canada’s 100 Accomplished Black Women by 100ABCwomen authored by the Honourable Jean Augustine.

Tyjondah is a married mother of two and resides in Brampton, Ontario.

Winjoy Nyariaki Tiop (she / her) was born in Nairobi, Kenya, to South-Sudanese and Kenyan parents. At five years of age, her family immigrated to Canada. Currently, she is an undergraduate student pursuing a Bachelor’s in Chemistry with a minor in Computer Science at the University of Calgary.

Winjoy is an active member of her community. She currently volunteers with The Football Hockey Link (FHL), the South Sudanese Youth of Canada (SSYC), Centre for Newcomers and is the founder of Golden Mti. The FHL supports new Canadian youth using sports as a tool to assist in integrating a sense of belonging and leadership development. SSYC is an organization that connects South Sudanese youth across Canada to support a holistic integration in their local communities while creating a strong base of youth leaders. The group has organized and executed a series of nationwide conferences in multiple provinces for the South Sudanese Youth. Winjoy is involved in community research for the Centre for Newcomers, specifically, their Regional 5-year initiative aiming to standardize the coordination of newcomer youth settlement services. Lastly, Golden Mti attempts to address barriers to post-secondary education for BIPOC children by equipping youth with resources to succeed through professional tutors, workshops and mentorship.

Being a first-generation immigrant that arrived in Canada as a refugee, Winjoy understands the significance of having services available to youth. As a result, she is committed to helping fill gaps she has seen.