THUNDER BAY — Ten youth in Thunder Bay used vulnerability and courage to share their mental heath stories for a new book, Teenage Mechanisms.
The photographic exhibition and book by Kamryn Woloschuk in collaboration with the Regional Multicultural Youth Centre's council are being displayed at the Co. Lab inside Goods and Co. Market.
“Working with the Regional Multicultural Youth Council and then also just being a youth who struggles with mental health myself, I found that people want to be asked their story and they have a really hard time sharing it,” said Woloschuk.
“I wanted to give an opportunity to share very candid personal stories that people might not hear otherwise,” she said.
Woloschuk, who is also a peer mentor with the youth council, said it was also a mentorship project, so the 10 youth involved helped to create the images, and were interviewed for the book.
“It was really interesting to see how identity intersects with mental health, even when it comes to youth. I think a lot of adults have this misconception that youth mental health is all drama, or not real things because adults are concerned with car payments, taxes, the stuff that stresses us out.
“It was interesting to see how each youth's identity played a huge role in their mental health, whether it was that they're struggling with intergenerational trauma or they're struggling with accepting their identity as a queer person, and then it was also interesting to see how their issues all came down to one fundamental topic.
“It came down to struggling to find autonomy in their lives and gain a sense of personhood. Every person was using these coping mechanisms to try and gain control over their life in some way, and that was really interesting,” she said.
Moffat Makuto, executive director and youth advisor at the Regional Multicultural Youth Centre, said the exhibit is really impressive.
“What even impressed us more was when groups like Nishnawbe Aski Nation, who we run the after-school program at Dennis Franklin Cromarty High School, they really know the challenges their young people face when they come to the city.
“They really like this whole idea of their kids opening up to talk about trauma and the challenges they face, then others can also realize they are not alone.
“There are many going through the same phase, but there are alternatives to really healing and finding healthier methods to cope with whatever you are going through. You are not alone,” Makuto said.
Junior Kargbo, a 13-year-old who is part of the book, said it’s important to speak up about mental health.
He hopes this book shows youth that “they're not the only one going through something, and know that they’re not alone.”
The book is available through all branches of the Thunder Bay Public Library, or for a personal copy, the Regional Multicultural Youth Centre can be contacted, or Woloschuk can be contacted directly.