My Passion

On Friday I took part in a Community Health Fair in Weymouth, close to where I live. I was representing my grassroots volunteer group 'Digby Clare Mental Health Volunteers'. I had information about mental illness, suicide, resources and support groups.

It was held at a high school and the students were pretty wired because they didn't have any classes! I had a pretty ominous looking booth to them, with all the brochures about mental illness and suicide. For the longest time, I sat and watched them zoom past me. I was pretty unpopular, especially when the booth next to me, a woman's resource center was giving out free condoms!!!

Slowly, a lone teenager would approach me and start to speak in hushed tones about a concern. I ended up talking to five teens about very serious issues. I could imagine the courage it must have taken to talk to a stranger in a crowded gymnasium about such highly sensitive issues. I've heard from young people that their peers laugh at these issues and often the issue gets buried within.

I talked for a long time to a teacher who was very interested in reaching out to students about serious issues that they are facing. I told her that at the conference I went to I learned about 'gate keepers', which are students who are trained to see signs in other students of suicide idealization. I also told her that I watched a play put on by students for students and the theme was suicide. The play's dialogue was reviewed by the community health board in the area it was produced in and a social worker was involved.

The teacher I was speaking to became very enthused and asked if the play could be brought to our area. I told her that the actors in that play were going their own way, but I could get the script. We exchanged information and I will make some calls to make this happen!

I KNOW this is my passion because I feel alive when I'm involved with mental illness issues. I love to volunteer my time doing this. Thats another question to ask yourself when wondering if something is your passion, 'would you do this without getting paid'?

What is your passion?