Stella’s Place is a registered charity and non-profit. That means that we will always have to work on getting funding to accomplish our goals (and help you accomplish yours), provide the services we have, and keep growing and making more of an impact.
For the first time in months, I feel like I am starting to get my life back on track.
It all started when I was 11 years old. It may be hard to think that an 11 year old has problems going on. Most of us would probably say “just wait until you get to high school” or “you don’t have anything to worry about, you’re just a kid”. Well, that isn’t how we should react, because you don’t know what they may be struggling with.
For the past two weeks, Pokemon GO has been taking over news channels, Facebook feeds, and twitter timelines all over the world. It’s a simple concept, allowing users to become trainers and live their dreams of being the best there ever was, by walking around their communities to catch the best and coolest Pokemon. As I am writing this, I am sitting at a dock with 300 other strangers trying to catch rare Pokemon that spawn here.
On Monday, July 11, after many months of preparation, we opened our Drop-In Café space at 18 Camden Street. Staffed by Peer Supporters (Young Adults with lived experience of Mental Health Issues) who completed our Peer Support Training Program, our team is welcoming Young Adults into our space, to provide a listening and validating ear and to connect participants with our programs and services.
My name is Ally. I’m 23 years old, an artist, photographer, writer, specialist on what music goes best with which cup of coffee, and also one of the youngest current Youth Advisory Council member for the Mental Health Commission of Canada. My role in the Stella’s Place community started in November of 2015. I would like to say I found Stella’s Place… But I think, it found me…