2013-01-25
Over 100 people defied the frigid cold on Thursday night to take part in MentaliTea, the very first fund-raising event organized by the Young Ambassadors of the Douglas Institute Foundation. The sold-out evening was held at a bar in downtown Montreal and was attended by Jane Lalonde, President of the Douglas Institute Foundation, and Marie Giguère, President of the Douglas Institute Foundation Board of Trustees.
“The energy tonight is very palpable,” exclaimed Lynne McVey, Executive Director of the Douglas Institute. “You can feel a true movement for mental health starting to take shape. I invite the youth here tonight to talk about mental health to the people they know, and I applaud your involvement.”
Frédéric Laurin, President of the Young Ambassadors, had no problem convincing young professionals to join his group. “We all know someone who is directly or indirectly affected by a mental health problem and talking about it doesn't scare us. One of our goals is indeed to break taboos.”
Douglas Institute researcher Carl Ernst, PhD, talked about the benefits of green tea on the brain and reminded the young professionals that they are not immune to mental illnesses, particularly those caused by stress. He emphasized how important it is to strike the right work-life balance.
Young ambassador Olivier Sefler appealed to everyone's generosity and asked them to give by using Square, a new-tech device that connects to a telephone or tablet and that makes it easy to conduct electronic transactions.
The Young Ambassadors are already planning a second event for summer 2013.
