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Funding Will Support Nine Young Entrepreneurs’ Efforts to Tackle Critical Aspects of the Mental Health Crisis in Canada

TORONTO, Sept. 13, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Teachers Life Insurance and nowly today announced the recipients of the 2024 Press Start CoLab grants, awarding a total of $77,000 in seed funding to nine innovative mental health projects developed by young Canadians aged 18 to 29. Funding through the Press Start program will enable these emerging leaders to advance their impactful initiatives to tackle critical mental health challenges across Canada.

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The annual Press Start CoLab Program is an innovation accelerator designed to empower Canada’s next generation of leaders, activists, and entrepreneurs to address the country’s most pressing social challenges. Over 10 weeks, 50 participants aged 18 to 29 worked with industry and impact experts, receiving mentorship to develop forward-thinking solutions that tackle key mental health issues.

A judging panel reviewed the proposals submitted by the 2024 Press Start CoLab participants and awarded funding to the following:

• Project Empower by Aqil Raharjo and Nicole Wong: Project Empower is a research-based, co-created initiative designed to improve mental health crisis care for individuals experiencing psychosis in Canada by providing holistic support from crisis onset to post-discharge.
• The Meaningfully Empowering the NeuroDivergent (MEND) Initiative by Abitha Suthakaran: MEND is a low-fidelity prototype web toolkit designed to help Autistic adults in the Greater Toronto Area access personalized mental health information, save useful resources, and connect with peers through an Autistic-moderated community forum.
• Ditzy Reclaim the Narrative: Reframe ADHD by Selvi Sert: Ditzy tackles the core challenges women with ADHD have long faced—feeling different, abandoned, and lost—serving as a compass for those seeking understanding and belonging.
• BIPOC Journalist Mental Health Association (BJMHA) by Kuwarjeet Singh Arora: BJMHA is committed to supporting the mental health and well-being of BIPOC journalists while advancing equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) in the media industry.
• FitMind Peel by Joshua Nanan: FitMind Peel is a transformative program that integrates body and mind, challenges mental health stigma, and creates a supportive space where movement becomes a powerful pathway to mental well-being through the strength of community.
• Project Good Luck by Kyle Moore: Project Good Luck is a nonprofit holistic mental health support program designed to enhance the immediate and long-term well-being of entrepreneurs under 30.
• The Addy Club by Lucie Soicher: The Addy Club aims to close the systemic gap in support and information for women with ADHD, fostering connection, self-compassion, and community for both diagnosed and undiagnosed individuals.
• Pacific Pride Health: Harm Reduction Services for LGBTQIA2S+ Youth on Vancouver Island by Anoushka Thakkar: Pacific Pride Health will offer a user-friendly, easily navigable platform that provides LGBTQIA2S+ youth with tailored information, resources, and support to meet their unique needs.
• The Turtle Island Wellness Network by Syndel Thomas Kozar: The Turtle Island Wellness Network connects Indigenous peoples across Canada to accessible, culturally sensitive mental health services, fostering healing, belonging, and the revitalization of traditional Indigenous medicine practices.

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“Today’s mental health landscape presents complex, unprecedented challenges, yet there is reason for optimism,” said Martha Turner Osborne, Chief Marketing & Innovation Officer of nowly and Teachers Life. “The 2024 Press Start Co-Lab Program showcased the power of diverse perspectives, with each participant bringing valuable insights shaped by their personal experiences. Their innovative proposals and unwavering commitment to improving mental health for all Canadians are truly inspiring.”

Teachers Life and nowly also want to thank the following 2024 Press Start CoLab contributors:

• Grant partners: North Cover, RMA, and GenRe.
• Inspiration Speakers: J.R. LaRose, Anthony Lue, Michel Chikwanine, Autumn Peltier, Joelle Tomlinson, and Dr. Susan Biali Haas.
• MC: Kwame Osei, for his exceptional role in guiding the 2024 Press Start program.
• Sponsors: Loran Scholars, Unsinkable, The Sandbox Project, Kids Help Phone, Jack.org, Common Good Solutions, Step Above Stigma, League of Innovators, and Frame of Mind Coaching.

For more information on the Press Start CoLab Program and its initiatives, please visit https://nowly.ca/pressstart/colab/.

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About
Press Start is a social impact program designed to connect and empower youth to drive positive changes through innovation, entrepreneurship, philanthropy, and activism. The annual CoLab program shepherds 50 aspiring Canadian social-preneurs and activists, ages 18 to 29, to problem-solve on some of Canada’s most pressing social issues through community, mentorship, collaboration, and seed-funding. Founded in 2022, the Press Start Program is backed by Teachers Life Insurance and nowly as an extension of Teachers Life’s mission to give back to its members and communities. For more information, please visit Press Start.

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