October 10th is World Mental Health Day. To highlight this meaningful day and offer resources to our community, Little Burgundy partnered with TOMS who established its 10 x 10 campaign. The 10 x 10 campaign consists of donating $10 000 to 10 different mental health organizations in partnership with various brands. Together, LB and TOMS will donate $10 000 to Jack.org. 

To tie in a touch of creativity and enhance TOMS’s campaign, we have sought Roen Higgins’s talent. For the purposes of this project, she created a poem composed of 10 stanzas that reflects her experiences with mental health. Creativity is a fundamental element of LB’s DNA. This is why we love to collaborate with creative minds to develop original concepts.

         Roen Higgins is a spoken word poet, educator, dynamic speaker and Mental Health First Aid facilitator from Montreal. We immediately thought of her for this project since creativity is at the heart of her approach. 

         “Creativity is a necessary tool in life for solving problems. It is an innovative way to become calm, think more clearly, deal with stress, and even become more self aware.”

         Roen has been working with children and youth before she became an adult herself. 

         “In 2020 so many people reached out to me, especially parents of Gen Z’s who did not feel equipped to deal with their adolescent children’s mental health. Which has become the main catalyst of why I passionately speak to youth and lead mental health workshops for organizations on how to recognize and assist someone to get the help they need.”

         We are honored to share with you her touching yet beautiful piece taking inspiration from her own experiences with mental health.

         Roen has had first hand experience with mental health issues from the beginning. Starting at a young age, her mother’s mental health led her to move from home to home, from family to foster care.  

         “I witnessed other family members and later on my students struggle with mental health where it impacted their daily lives. They couldn’t function, quit school or were even hospitalized. Others lost the battle to the mind and I always wonder, what if they just needed someone to be there in the way they needed?” 

         Having struggled herself with anxiety and depression, Roen has felt like no one could have been able to understand her panic attacks and anxious thoughts. Thankfully, she fought and conquered her mental health issues with various tools. When moving her body and venting didn’t work, her faith, journaling and her support system helped her stay afloat. Today, she lets her loved ones know that she is always there, supporting them in their good and not so good seasons.

         Jack.org is a Canadian organization focused on youth mental health that offers training across the country. They teach young people, among other things, how to recognize the signs and symptoms of mental health distress and how to seek help if needed. We encourage you to complete their Be There Certificate, a very helpful course on how to support someone struggling with their mental health. 

         Being there and offering your support is the best thing you can do for your loved ones who struggle with their mental health. If you are going through difficult times yourself, just know that you are never alone and should never be ashamed to reach out for help. 

         “Whatever it is, do not dismiss it or minimize what you’re going through. You are valuable and there is help to get you back on track. Reach out!”