Sacred Heart Teeswater Grade 8 Student Rachael Hogg says mental health is something that people deal with everyday.
So 200 students from both Sacred Heart and Hillcrest Elementary Central Schools joined together on Tuesday to walk to Teeswater Town Hall to raise awareness and ensure there is not a stigma attached to mental illness.
“Mental illness is becoming a more common thing in our society. By holding a stigma walk, we are trying to raise awareness that this is something people deal with everyday, and that it is in our local and global communities,” said Hogg.
The Stigma Walk culminated with a rally involving MP Ben Lobb and Margie Bates from the Municipality of South Bruce.
Sacred Heart Principal Greg McLean says it's important that everyone understands there is help if they need it.
"To let kids know that we're there for them. And that if they're experiencing some sort of issues with mental health, it's okay to mention that to an adult, a caring adult, so that something can be done about it," he added.
The walk enhances their school's new Mental Health Champions program.
"We've got a number of six, seven and eight students who have been identified by their peers as people who are go to people. They're trusted by their peers, so that if they had a problem, or something such as that, they could go to them to get some assistance and help," McLean said.
On Wednesday, students from Sacred Heart in Walkerton will hold their Stigma Walk.
