THE CAUSE
The collective Let’s Bond, made up of 60 committed young professionals, has chosen mental health as its cause in order to foster dialogue and break the taboos surrounding it.
Let’s Bond’s vision will always be to be at the heart of a society where mental health disorders are perceived and treated the same way as any other physical illness, so that those who suffer from them can live without the fear of judgment. To bring this vision to life, Let’s Bond has made it its mission, since 2011, to initiate conversations around mental health to break taboos, raise awareness within its community, especially in Montreal's business sector, and create inclusive activities that help raise significant funds to support its partner foundations working in prevention, research, and rehabilitation. Since 2011, Let’s Bond has distributed the funds raised to the Fondation Jeunes en Tête, the Fondation de L’Institut Douglas, and Maison Up to support their work within the community.
Funds donated to the Fondation Jeunes en Tête are used to support Partners for Life, a mental health awareness program led by pairs of facilitators in Quebec high schools and offered free every year to 48,500 teenagers and adults. Fondation Jeunes en Tête reached over 1.1 million people over the years. Developed by health experts, Partners for Life’s mission is to teach youth aged 11 to 18, parents, teachers, and health professionals how to recognize the signs and symptoms of depression during adolescence and direct those in crisis to the appropriate community resources. When left untreated, teen depression often leads to school dropouts and even suicide. (https://www.fondationjeunesentete.org)
Funds raised for The Douglas Foundation are earmarked for the development of the Douglas Institute. Its main focuses are patient care and their environment, research in neuroscience and mental illness, as well as training and education.
(www.fondationdouglas.qc.ca)
Donald Berman UP house is a front-line recovery-oriented community centre for people living with chronic and persistent mental illnesses such as Schizophrenia, Bipolar, Depression and Anxiety. UP House provides a safe and welcoming environment where members build on personal strengths instead of focusing on their illness. Members work in reception, run our culinary unit, maintain our garden, support our administration and finance activities and deliver workshops for the benefit of their peers. Members are the key stakeholders within our organization and participate in all of our decision-making and governance opportunities. Our innovative "work-ordered day" approach to psychosocial rehabilitation is progressive and world-renowned. The central tenet of UP House is that members work side by side with staff to co-deliver clubhouse activities as a key means of regaining a sense of confidence, purpose and community.
(www.uphouse.org)