Visitors to one New Brunswick school will notice a bright yellow bench in the cafeteria lobby.
Fundy Middle and High School in St. George is the first in the province to adopt “The Friendship Bench” initiative.
Elise Cheney, mental health representative on the school’s student council, said the program has three main objectives.
“To encourage peer-to-peer conversations about mental health, to provide education about mental illness and how to build resiliency, and to connect students on campus to local mental health resources,” Cheney said in an interview.
The Friendship Bench was founded in 2015 by three mental health advocates: Sam Fiorella, Rob Clarke, and Danny Brown.
Fiorella’s son, Lucas, took his own life the year prior after suffering in silence from depression.
“Sam is continuing Lucas’ legacy and helping to spread awareness and education around youth depression and mental health issues,” said the project website.
The goal is to decrease the number of suicides and suicide attempts occurring among Canadian students between the ages of 15 and 24.
Since its launch, The Friendship Bench has installed more than 60 yellow benches in secondary and post-secondary schools across Canada.
Cheney said the bench at her school will be a permanent reminder to talk about mental health.
“When you see the yellow bench, you think ‘yellow is for hello’ and just to reach out for a friend and talk about mental health,” said Cheney.
“It’s just like a visual cue to always talk about mental health, whether that’s just something as simple as saying hello to someone.”
Cheney hopes other schools in the province and beyond will also get involved in the initiative.
It's a special day @FundyFMHS as they unveil their new Friendship Bench to encourage students to talk about their mental health. They are the first school in NB to adopt the #YellowIsForHello campaign.💛 Find out more here: https://t.co/1FJDbMsrlS @CMHANB @TownofStGeorge1 pic.twitter.com/2gx9fV3iFH
— ASD-South (@ASD_South) May 25, 2022
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