Mental Health Help Graphic
Apr 2023 – Nov 2024
Throughout my academic journey, I experienced mental health challenges from a young age, though I did not fully understand them at the time. With support from my family and professional help, I was diagnosed with Tourette’s, which can be intensified by generalized anxiety. As I entered high school, I noticed that many of my peers, especially male-identifying students, faced similar struggles but often felt blocked by stigma, cultural barriers, or confusion around how to seek help. Seeing these gaps inspired me to use a Youth Creativity Fund grant to create a mental wellness graphic in collaboration with my school’s guidance department and social worker. The graphic provides students with a private, accessible roadmap for finding support without feeling judged or overwhelmed. Today, it is displayed in classrooms across all 16 high schools in the Waterloo Region District School Board.
More info about the project can be found here
Mental Health Interview
Aug 2023
As part of my poster initiative, I had the opportunity to be interviewed by the Youth Creativity Fund to discuss mental health and the impact of my project. During the interview, I was able to share my personal experiences, highlighting the importance of mental health awareness, and inspire other young people to engage with their communities and take action.
Mental Health Guest Speaking
Aug 2023
Through my ongoing volunteer work with the Smart Waterloo Region Innovation Lab, I was honored to be invited as a guest speaker to address an audience of elementary and middle school students. During this session, I shared my personal experiences and provided valuable insights on mental health, along with resources and ideas aimed at improving accessibility to mental health support for young individuals.
Mental Health Conferences
Apr 2023, Fen 2024, Apr 2024
As a major advocate for student mental health accessibility throughout high school, I was given the opportunity to learn and explore the topic of student well-being further at the annual Waterloo Region District School Board Mental Health Conferences for 2023 and 2024. Through workshops and presentations, I was able to enrich my understanding of mental health stigma in schools and continue on a path to forwarding student well-being for my region. Through conversations with guest-speakers and professionals in the mental health field, I was able to gather information and resources for the first iterations of my mental health graphic. After I finished my first version of the mental health graphic, the Waterloo Region District School Board took on my project and helped me in distributing posters to all high schools in the district.
Nolan Phuong 