We each have a story to tell.
Your story can bring hope to someone going through a difficult time.
As part of Tri-City's stigma reduction and suidice prevention efforts, Courageous Minds Speakers Bureau exists to inspire hope and increase compassion and mental health awareness in our communities. Through impactful lived experience storytelling and open dialogue, our speakers directly help to transform the negative attitudes and beliefs surrounding mental health. By sharing their experiences and giving mental health a voice, our courageous speakers show that experiencing a mental health condition does not define an individual; rather, it is part of their life journey.
We believe that every story matters. Courageous Minds brings together a small group of people to learn how to build the skills and confidence to share their experiences with mental health — whether it is difficulties with their own mental health or for supporting someone they care about — how they reached out for support, and how they manage their wellbeing today. Through a range of ages, cultures, diagnoses, and experiences, our speakers offer powerful perspectives that foster empathy and reduce the stigma around mental health.
About Our Courageous Minds Workshops
Build confidence to share your story
It is our belief that hearing personal stories—from friends, family or peers—especially stories of resilience and strength, is a powerful thing. Storytelling can be an impactful tool for transformative healing, help normalize conversations and provide hope to others going through difficult times.
Being a Courageous Minds Speaker is about helping you build confidence in sharing your story—whether that’s with yourself, your family and friends, or your community—and recognizing the power of your narrative. Our aim is to ensure everyone that participates not only feels more confident in sharing their story, but they also feel their story is valid, and worthy of being heard.
We support you in this journey through a combination of practical, evidence-based safe storytelling training in a series of workshops, along with group discussions and sharing. We will help you prepare and tailor your story in a non-judgmental and effective way. This is a safe, constructive and encouraging process.
Your story has the potential to affect positive change, both for yourself and if you do decide to share, for the audience listening. After participating in the workshop series, speakers have the opportunity to share their story in a variety of settings including high schools, colleges, parent groups, community forums, civic groups, professional conferences, and more.
Your voice is a catalyst for change
Join a community that supports mental health and recovery. By sharing your uniquely powerful, impactful and hopeful story, you can:
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- Join the effort to create stigma-free communities that champion individual and collective mental health and wellbeing.
- Connect with others who have experienced journeys both similar to and different from your own and find strength in shared understanding.
- Learn about the importance of embracing vulnerability and how this can help you feel more confident sharing your experiences. Show others that they are not alone in their struggles and that support is available.
- Empower people to reach out for help when needed.
- Bring the community together to engage in positive conversations about mental health.
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Your path to being trained as a Courageous Minds storyteller starts with submitting an expression of interest form to attend our free workshop series.
If you are interested in booking a Courageous Minds Speaker or panel to come and share at your community group or organization, fill out our form and we’ll be in touch!
Book a Courageous Minds Speaker
