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Kendra Fisher: Playing the role of ‘normal’

Interview with Kendra Fisher, best known as a top women's ice hockey and inline hockey goal tender who has represented Canada. She is committed to sharing her personal story to bring mental health issues forward to help break the silence around them through her organization mentallyfit

Studies indicate that one in five adolescents struggle with mental health challenges throughout their lives. Our Stop the Stigma campaign raises awareness regarding mental health issues and provides a base of knowledge from which student teams will be equipped to raise awareness within their own school communities.

We invite you to send a team of 8, including:

• 6 motivated, leadership oriented students
• Up to 2 teachers
• A staff member or member of Psychology or Social Work
• Code 83 is available for each school.

Hart House is located on the University of Toronto St. George Campus at 7 Hart House Circle. The closest subway stations are Museum and St. George. The day will begin promptly in the Great Hall at 8:45 am and will end at 2:45 pm. Lunch will be provided. In addition to our keynote address, students will attend three workshops of their choice. School teams are encouraged to attend different workshops and share information, thus building capacity on all topics. Further workshop details can be found on the program that will follow. Students and staff are asked to complete the registration forms sent. Please direct any questions to [email protected] .

Keynote/ Kickoff!

Sara is a Motivational Speaker/Singer/Author specializing in Resilience, Confidence & Mental Well-Being. She has performed her UPower presentations to over 200,000 students, parents and educators. She is the author of the UPower Journal, a book for youth to not only express their thoughts and emotions, but also to build their confidence, resilience and mental well-being through personal stories, exercises and quotes. Please visit www.sarawestbrook.com

On Bell Let’s Talk Day, Kendra Fisher, an elite Canadian hockey player and founder of mentallyfIt (a movement aimed at presenting hope, education and a safe place for people struggling with mental illness) will be joining us to share her mental health journey and strategies for how she continues to thrive. Kendra is a past member of Team Canada’s Hockey program and current (World Champion) Team Canada Inline goalie on a mission to de-stigmatize mental health!

About Kendra

Kendra grew up in Kincardine, Ontario. With the support of her family and town behind her, Kendra quickly achieved great successes in her hockey career. Years ago, when faced with the opportunity to realize her dream of goaltending for Team Canada, Kendra was diagnosed with a Severe Anxiety Disorder coupled with Severe Panic Attacks, Depression and Agoraphobia; forcing her to leave the National Program in order to seek help to learn how to live with what had become a crippling disease. Kendra now shares her personal journey and has joined efforts to bring Mental Health issues to the forefront. It is her hope that her story will offer both hope and promise to others dealing with Mental Illness. Kendra is the founder of mentallyfit – a movement that exists to inspire, inform, empower, encourage and create communities free from stigma.

Registration

This event is being offered as part of the annual Thrive Week initiative.