Hodan Mohamud, Chair
23, Mississauga
Hodan (she/her) is passionate about mental health advocacy, youth engagement, and health equity. She envisions a mental health system where youth across Ontario have equitable access to mental health services that meet their diverse needs. Hodan hopes to use her position on the committee to help elevate the voices of youth across Ontario.
Nneoma Achioso
22, London
Hi my name is Nneoma Achioso. I’m 22 years old and currently reside in London, Ontario finishing up my undergrad degree at Western University. It has only been a few years since I discovered that I have a strong passion for mental health. I realized mental health is something I want to not only learn more about, but I also want to contribute to breaking down the walls of stigma surrounding it. In recent years, I have also gained some lived experience with witnessing how the various aspects of the mental health system work, and sometimes not always for the best interest of the patient, specifically those from BIPOC community. As a black woman, I can understand how intersecting identities can disproportionately impact access to services and result in differential treatment by healthcare providers.
Being a part of the Youth Action Committee provides me with the opportunity to be a voice for my fellow BIPOC, while tackling the complex issues within our child and youth mental health system. I hope through our policy work we can commence the start to a more equitable and accessible mental health system for all youth.
Erin Park
18, Scarborough
Hi! I’m Erin, a 18-year-old youth mental health advocate currently based in Scarborough! My pronouns are she/her. I’ve lived in low-income, racialized communities with lots of stigma against mental illness for my entire life, and I particularly focus on advocating for dismantling system inequities that impact BIPOC, 2SLGBTQIA+, and disabled youth. Getting youth involved in the creation of policy and program development is also very important to me. Working with the YAC has given me the privilege to challenge those barriers and work to create change that will help youth, especially those with intersecting identities, access the services they need. Youth have so much to offer the system and through our policy work, I hope to encourage more to use their powerful voices, as well as use mine!
Aditya Thakur
18, Oakville
Aditya Thakur is an 18-year-old from Oakville, Ontario, who has been actively involved with Children’s Mental Health Ontario (CMHO) and The New Mentality’s youth engagement initiatives since 2018. He has leveraged opportunities to represent youth and voice their issues in the community. He shows tremendous passion for promoting equity in the mental health system and raising awareness for underprivileged youth. Aditya was a keynote speaker and panelist at the CMHO Annual conference in 2020, and had the unique opportunity to speak to mental health professionals about leadership equity. He has also advocated for youth mental health during the pandemic and published a research paper in an internationally recognized psychiatry journal. Aditya is committed to making a difference in the lives of children and adolescents by raising awareness about mental health issues and stigma surrounding mental illness.
As a member of the YAC, Aditya is eager to create change in the mental health system through youth-led policy recommendations, and amplifying the voices of youth across the province.
Gin Phillips
19, Kapuskasing
Hello, my name is Gin (although most may be familiar with Chy)! Properly going by they/them, I’m nineteen and aiming for a degree in psychology. I’m a youth advocate that’s been participating in the New Mentality since I was fifteen, and advocating for longer. I have particularly strong feelings regarding mental health and racial equality since both have always directly affected my life, and hope to use my experience to boost and help others, using my voice to make sure everyone within our communities is heard, and given an opportunity to speak. It’s important that cultural awareness is spread and resources are more accessible in a way that’s best fit for those with much different experiences. My goal is to create even the slightest difference and shed a much better light on the inequities of our youth, and the YAC seems like a perfect place to start.
Lewis Han
22, Ottawa
Hi, my name is Lewis. I’m 22 years old from Ottawa, Ontario. I’m a 2nd year medical student at the University of Ottawa medical school with a passion for advocating for health equity and mental health awareness. My experiences with mental health from a low-income background has shaped my advocacy initiatives. I believe youth need to have a say in policy decisions to create meaningful changes within the Child and Youth mental health system of Ontario. I am privileged to work with the YAC to share my experiences and work towards amplifying the voices of youth across Ontario.
Alisha Sharma
18, Burlington
Hi, my name is Alisha. I am 18 years old from Burlington, Ontario. I have always had a passion for mental health advocacy ever since I first heard about it in middle school. Having joined The New Mentality of Halton not long after, I helped co-facilitate the committee towards The Youth Minds Matter Podcast. We touched on multiple topics, and one that really stuck with me was racial equity in mental health. It’s important to me that other racialized youth like myself are informed and have access to mental health services, due to the stigma that surrounds it in certain cultures. So far, it has been a journey full of learning and improving for not only myself, but my family as well!
Working on projects that help reduce the stigma around mental health, and informing youth that they are not alone, is what I hope to continue working towards. Digitizing such resources in today’s world can also provide access to anyone who needs it, anywhere. I am super excited to be a part of the Youth Action Committee this year and do more wonderful things for our community.
Gregory Doucet
18, Vaughan
My name is Gregory and I am 18 years old. I live in Vaughan, Ontario and I am a strong advocate for children and their well-being. In particular, I focus on those who are often underrepresented in society, such as those with visible or invisible disabilities, and multicultural individuals. I am a part of the Youth Action Committee as I want to give a voice to those who currently aren’t able to advocate for change. Those who struggle with health related issues, whether they are solely related to mental health, or are intertwined with their physical health, everyone deserves the best support possible. I firmly believe that regardless of the perceived competency of a youth, they deserve to have their opinion heard and accounted for when making decisions that may impact them.
Diya Mohan
17, Scarborough
Hello! I’m Diya Mohan (she/her) and I’m a youth advocate and leader in the mental health system currently in Scarborough, Ontario. I’ll be eighteen this October, and I started volunteering at my local youth hub in freshman year, focusing on targeting systemic gaps affecting racialized youth in the community. As a leader of my own New Mentality group, part of the Provincial Youth Advisory Council, and a youth representative in the Advisory Board for our youth hub- I hold positions to speak for my lived experience as a POC in a low-income household and host a voice for a demographic that is underserved in the mental health system. After years of being part of the system, witnessing and experiencing the biases and discomfort surrounding race and culture, I am devoted to making the system more accessible, aware, and socially responsible. I’m invested in intersectional identities, such as BIPOC and 2SLGBTQ+ communities being prioritized and met with an equally beneficial experience with the services and systems offered currently. I hope to make and see change by being part of the YAC, and am so happy to have the opportunity to do so!
Murphy-Issac Boyse
21, St. Thomas
Greetings earthlings, my name is Murphy-Issac. I use they/he pronouns. I have been on this blue-green dot for 21 years and I have been involved with youth engagement since I was 14. I’m a proud Hufflepuff, and as such I strongly believe in hardwork, kindness, justice, laughter and loyalty. My current passion projects include activities related to: equity, accessibility, psychology and advocacy. I identify as non-binary, trans masc and queer, and reside in a small town; so I have first hand experience with discrimination and oppression, and hope to transfer my experiences and learned skills to improve equity within the new mentality and the mental health system as whole.
Madison Suh
17, Richmond Hill
Madison is a passionate advocate for mental health advocating with her New Mentality group based in Toronto and on the provincial Youth Action Committee. She has a fierce voice and is a strong advocate for more inclusive mental health services for the 2SLGBTQ+ community.
Eric Hendrick
18, St. Thomas
Hi my name is Eric!! My pronouns are He/Him/His. I am 18 years old and I have been on youth engagement committees for the past 4 years! I believe in using my outgoing and fearless personality to be a voice for youth across the board, I realized that some youth don’t have the resources or the contacts to voice their concerns and I want to be able to build my personal tool belt to help others build their own! In September I started my first year of the Child and Youth Care program and I have never been more excited. I can’t wait to work closely with youth to start a change.
We are so excited to have such incredible advocates from across Ontario joining our 2021 Youth Action Committee! To learn more about the Youth Action Committee click here.
