The Friendship Bench

The Friendship Bench https://thefriendshipbench.org raising awareness around youth mental health Tue, 14 Jun 2022 16:03:48 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.2 https://thefriendshipbench.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/cropped-yi4h-wide-logo-web-2-32x32.png The Friendship Bench https://thefriendshipbench.org 32 32 4 Years and 50 Benches – The Past, Present, and Future for The Friendship Bench https://thefriendshipbench.org/4-years-and-50-benches-what-ive-learned-about-student-mental-health/ Mon, 10 Jun 2019 17:48:47 +0000 https://thefriendshipbench.org/?p=4788 In October 2014, I lost my son to suicide after a long and very secret battle with depression. So secret, in fact, that only he knew of his illness until the day of his death. Upon his passing, Lucas’s peers shared countless stories of him initiating conversations, often with a just a simple “hello,” at a moment of crisis that resulted in the prevention of a suicide attempt.

]]> Bereaved Parents: Living Life in Black and White https://thefriendshipbench.org/bereaved-parents-living-life-in-black-and-white/ Fri, 13 Jul 2018 13:54:47 +0000 https://thefriendshipbench.org/?p=4635 July is Bereaved Parents Month, which, speaking from experience, is something those who have lost a child wish to ignore. Counterintuitive, I know. The reality is that such campaigns tend to ignite physical and emotional reactions in bereaved parents that we would often prefer not to continue experiencing. That said, it’s an opportunity to share the thoughts and emotions that we’.

]]> The Friendship Bench and World Suicide Prevention Day 2017 https://thefriendshipbench.org/the-friendship-bench-and-world-suicide-prevention-day-2017/ Fri, 25 Aug 2017 15:59:37 +0000 https://thefriendshipbench.org/?p=4513 This year, World Suicide Prevention Day falls on Sunday, September 10. According to the WSPD website, more than 800,000 people die by suicide, and up to 25 times as many make a suicide attempt, each year. According to statistics provided by the Canadian Association For Suicide Prevention, 11 Canadians will end their lives today. And another 11 will do so every day after that. Globally...

]]> Instagram Tops List of Harmful Social Apps https://thefriendshipbench.org/instagram-tops-list-of-harmful-social-apps/ Mon, 22 May 2017 13:31:51 +0000 https://thefriendshipbench.org/?p=4289 Kids, we get it; you don’t want to be lectured to; you don’t want to be told what to do, how to think, or what to believe. You’re happy to jump on a bandwagon of friends online and do, think, and believe what the crowd tells you; it’s the only authority figure that the Millennial generation trusts. Well, OK. I’m not here to sell you on the perils of that philosophy.

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]]> Announcing a Special Partnership with the Ontario College Student Alliance https://thefriendshipbench.org/announcing-a-special-partnership-with-the-ontario-college-student-alliance/ Thu, 11 May 2017 16:03:45 +0000 https://thefriendshipbench.org/?p=4208 The Lucas Fiorella Friendship Bench is pleased to announce a partnership with the Ontario College Student Alliance (CSA) to promote improved mental health among Ontario’s college students. The CSA is a non-profit, non-partisan organization that works collaboratively with post-secondary education stakeholders & government to improve the college experience. Members of the CSA include leading...

]]> The Reason To Not Watch 13 Reasons Why Is The Very Reason You Should https://thefriendshipbench.org/the-reason-to-not-watch-13-reasons-why-is-the-very-reason-you-should/ Tue, 02 May 2017 12:19:11 +0000 https://thefriendshipbench.org/?p=4142 There’s been much debate online and in schools the past few weeks over the controversial Netflix series “13 Reasons Why”. The series is based on a popular book by the same name, which chronicles 13 reasons why Hannah Barker decided to take her life. According to Harold S. Koplewicz, President of the Child Mind Institute, the show “has a contagious effect.

]]> How a Simple Hello Can Save a Life https://thefriendshipbench.org/how-a-simple-hello-can-save-a-life/ Mon, 01 May 2017 12:00:21 +0000 https://thefriendshipbench.org/?p=4112 I’m representing the #YellowIsForHello team this week on a cross-Country trek for CMHA’s Mental Health Awareness Week, and so the #mentalhealthmonday tip for this week is inspired by the message I’ll be sharing with students from North Vancouver, BC to St. John’s, Newfoundland. That message is a familiar one to those of you following our efforts: “Say ‘hello&#

]]> The Friendship Bench Cross-Canada Tour For Mental Health Awareness Week https://thefriendshipbench.org/the-friendship-bench-cross-canada-tour-for-mental-health-awareness-week/ Tue, 21 Feb 2017 14:41:19 +0000 https://thefriendshipbench.org/?p=3952 The Canadian Mental Health Association’s annual Mental Health Week is approaching! As always, during the first week of May (this year it’s May 1 – 7, 2017) Canadians from coast to coast to coast will be engaged in online and in-person events to “encourage people from all walks of life to learn, talk, reflect, and engage others on all issues relating to mental health.

]]> Don’t Worry, Be Happy https://thefriendshipbench.org/dont-worry-be-happy/ Mon, 16 Jan 2017 12:55:31 +0000 https://thefriendshipbench.org/?p=3868 Tip from Jamaica: “Don’t Worry, Be Happy.” To help fight the negative narrative of “Blue Monday” today (known as the most depressing day of the year), we’ve declared it #YellowMonday – the most optimistic day of the year! Inspired by this effort and the well known Jamaican song: “Don’t worry, be happy,” we present you with today’s #

]]> Mental Health Conversation Starter – #YellowIsForHello https://thefriendshipbench.org/mental-health-conversation-starter-yellowisforhello/ Mon, 09 Jan 2017 23:13:43 +0000 https://thefriendshipbench.org/?p=3854 We’ve often shared the statistic reported by many organizations and government agencies that some 50% of those suffering with depression remain silent about their struggles, and so it’s no wonder that suicide seems to be the only way out to some. If we don’t have the opportunity, courage or education to reach out – or to be there for those who do – we’ll never make a dent in the number of...

]]> Dancing Reduces Anxiety and Depression in Students https://thefriendshipbench.org/dancing-reduces-anxiety-and-depression-in-students/ Mon, 19 Dec 2016 17:40:08 +0000 https://thefriendshipbench.org/?p=3833 Break dance? Belly dance? Ballet? Ballroom? Doesn’t matter – the results are in and be with a pair of two left feet or otherwise, dance has been proven to improve your overall mood and your mental health. A meta-analysis of 23 international studies on the effects of dancing, reported in The Arts in Psychotherapy magazine, conclude that dancing has a positive effect on the prevention and treatment...

]]> Knitting Your Way to Mental Health https://thefriendshipbench.org/knitting-your-way-to-mental-health/ Mon, 12 Dec 2016 17:05:37 +0000 https://thefriendshipbench.org/?p=3806 Many young men are reportedly discovering the art of knitting – and it’s a good thing (to quote Martha Stewart). Many will criticize this as “just another hipster fad” but whatever the reason for this trend, I’m thankful for it. And no, I’m not putting out a call for a hand-knit beard cozy; I’m thankful that men are discovering this hobby because of the growing link...

]]> Failing Expectations – My Journey https://thefriendshipbench.org/failing-expectations-my-journey/ Mon, 05 Dec 2016 15:10:02 +0000 https://thefriendshipbench.org/?p=3782 Growing up, there was one driving expectation my parents – like all other Traditionalists and Boomers at the time – placed on me: Go to university, graduate, and become a successful, well-paid professional. There was no discussion or consideration of not going to a post-secondary institution or of becoming a tradesman or of not making millions of dollars. Anything less than a well-paid...

]]> The Power of HELLO – for #WorldHelloDay https://thefriendshipbench.org/the-power-of-hello-for-worldhelloday/ Mon, 21 Nov 2016 16:52:02 +0000 https://thefriendshipbench.org/?p=3641 Today is #WorldHelloDay and so I thought it only appropriate that today’s #MentalHealthMonday post focus on the power of “hello.” “Hello” is more than the utterance of simple greeting. In a world that’s engulfed in conflict and divisiveness, a HELLO represents an outreached hand, an invitation to open a dialogue with someone instead of drawing a line in the sand. In a society whose preferred...

]]> The Power of Music on Students’ Mental Health https://thefriendshipbench.org/the-power-of-music-on-students-mental-health/ Mon, 14 Nov 2016 15:15:36 +0000 https://thefriendshipbench.org/?p=3554 Music can have a physical affect your body; music can help decrease emotional distress and amplify a variety of moods. It’s said that music is one of the few activities that involves using the majority or entirety of the human brain. It can have the same effects of a drug but without the nasty physical or mental side effects. And it can be explained through science: Did you know that the chills...

]]> The Friendship Bench Launches at Trent University https://thefriendshipbench.org/the-friendship-bench-launches-at-trent-university/ Sat, 12 Nov 2016 15:26:46 +0000 https://thefriendshipbench.org/?p=3500 This week we were honoured to be welcomed at Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario. After almost six months of planning, the team at Trent Central Student Association, led by its President Alaine Spiwak, hosted an uplifting celebration for the students to commemorate the launch of the #YellowIsForHello mental health awareness program on campus. The event, held in Champlain College’.

]]> Mental Health Tip – Parents: Listen First, Fix Second https://thefriendshipbench.org/mental-health-tip-parents-listen-first-fix-second/ Mon, 07 Nov 2016 15:22:43 +0000 https://thefriendshipbench.org/?p=3404 For this week’s #MentalHealthMonday tip, I want to talk to parents directly. As parents, we tend to want to build walls around our kids, to encase them in bubble wrap, and to protect them at all costs. However, we’ve learned that kids must learn from their mistakes and so we need to allow them to make some – to give them some space to explore. Similarly, many kids suffering from mental...

]]> A Case for Social Connectedness and Student Mental Health https://thefriendshipbench.org/a-case-for-social-connectedness-and-student-mental-health/ Mon, 31 Oct 2016 17:09:16 +0000 https://thefriendshipbench.org/?p=3377 We often talk about the importance of good diet and exercise in the maintenance of good mental health in school; however, building and maintain social connections is just as important. And that’s this week’s #MentalHealthMonday Tip. We all need social interactions; it’s part of our DNA. There’s a direct correlation between these social connections and the well-being of students...

]]> Happiness Jar Fosters Positive Mental Health Habits https://thefriendshipbench.org/happiness-jar-fosters-positive-mental-health-habits/ Mon, 24 Oct 2016 14:15:45 +0000 https://thefriendshipbench.org/?p=3351 The stress that students place on themselves – and that are placed on them – is ever-growing. Exams, assignments, work, financial pressures, social pressures, and/or living away from home add an often unbearable amount of stress and anxiety to even the most well-adjusted and “happy” students, not to mention those who have some form of mental illness. These constant stressors keep students focused...

]]> Vancouver Island University Says #YellowIsForHello https://thefriendshipbench.org/vancouver-island-university-says-yellowisforhello/ Sat, 22 Oct 2016 17:08:57 +0000 https://thefriendshipbench.org/?p=3308 We enjoy – and are grateful for – every unveiling ceremony for The Lucas Fiorella Friendship Bench and #YellowIsForHello student mental health campaign that we participate in. Each has it’s unique character, story, and memories. Vancouver Island University in Nanaimo on Vancouver Island is no different. Not uncharacteristically, the west coast threatened rain on this otherwise...

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