For RN Teagan Venables, mental health came into sharp focus when he was a teenager. At 16, he came out as queer before starting Grade 11. It took some time to work through understanding and accepting his identity. 

“I came out to my parents and that was a very difficult time in my life. I started going to counselling, but I didn't want to go because of the stigma,” he says, noting he didn’t always see mental health in a positive light. Up until that point, he had never heard from friends or classmates that they were attending counselling. His only understanding of it came from television shows depicting it as something for people with serious issues. “I didn’t believe I would ever need counselling myself; it seemed aimed at individuals grappling with significant problems or psychiatric disorders,” he recalls.

His outlook changed in 2014, when he was approached by his guidance counsellor and asked if he wanted to be a youth champion to help support other students with their mental health needs. Since he had expressed interest in working in the health-care field and helping others, his counsellor felt he would be interested in the opportunity. He was, and he agreed to attend three days of in-person RNAO training to learn about mental health and wellbeing, building inclusive environments, and how to promote both within his school. Through a provincially funded program known then as the Youth Mental Health and Addiction Champions Program (now Youth Wellness Champions Program), he gained a better understanding of stress, positive coping strategies and the stigma around youth mental health. He became one of 55 students from 12 school boards across Ontario to join as the first-ever champions for the program.