Saeed: Fundraising for mental health made me challenge my own stigma

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When I started Algonquin College’s public relations program in January 2024, I did not expect to be fundraising for mental health.

On the first day of class, I chose a seat that informed the professor of my presence but did not require me to speak. I did not want to participate in icebreakers that would have me share that after obtaining a bachelor’s degree and working two years in administration, I was back at school. “It’s college,” I thought. “I’m not where I should be.”

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Suddenly, it was mid-April, and I was standing beside my team to pitch the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre, a local not-for-profit organization, to be our summer charity client.

An important project in my program is to fundraise and advocate for an Ottawa-area charity. At the beginning of the semester, my class was grouped into teams based on our chosen social issues. When I initially wrote my list, I placed mental health at the bottom.

I knew this issue was talked about, but it still felt too private, personal, and uncomfortable. Then, I reviewed my list, looked at the words “mental health,” and panicked.

As a Pakistani-Canadian, I was socialized with the statement “Log kya kahenge?,” which translates to: “What will people say?”

These three words carry such weight that they can deter people from making decisions for fear of being shunned by their community. It is a guiding principle and conditioned response to anything that can be perceived as negative by the public.

With this realization, I scratched my list and put mental health at the top. It was time I challenged my own stigma.

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In May, we returned from our semester break and immediately started working on the #ShatterTheSilence campaign. Our goal was to fundraise for The Royal and reduce mental health stigma by encouraging people to shatter their silence and seek the mental health support they need.

Advocating for mental health is challenging because it can feel like an abstract mission. That is why we partnered with the Royal, an organization that breaks down barriers to accessing mental health services through community partnerships, virtual workshops, and education. The Royal’s work is grounded in inclusivity and compassion, and it was important for us to feel that.

Throughout our campaign, we had four events designed to uniquely improve mental well-being, including food, gardening, music, and resources. It was exciting to plan these events, but it was also terrifying to be emotionally invested in a cause that required vulnerability.

There were moments during this process when I felt so overwhelmed that I wondered: “What will people say if this doesn’t work?”

Then, I had meaningful conversations with fellow students at our campaign launch who shared their mental health experiences. I saw community members attend our gardening event and ask how to take care of the succulents they planted together. I cheered and applauded with my friends in the audience after listening to local musicians captivate the crowd. What people will say is that we held spaces in which people shattered their silence.

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Mental health is still hard to talk about. The stigma against mental health is so strong that 40 per cent of Canadians living with anxiety or depression do not seek help. Yet, one in five Canadians experiences a mental illness in any given year.

With #ShatterTheSilence, we helped people share their voices and feel a little less uncomfortable. Of course, our mission does not end here. The great thing about college is that we continue to learn of practical skills that can be directly applied to supporting our community. After all, I am finally doing what I should be.

Anum Saeed is a public relations student at Algonquin College.

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