Media personality and mental health advocate Michael Landsberg is set to visit Woodstock, Ont. following a spate of youth suicides in the southwestern Ontario city.
Landsberg, who hosts TSN show “Off the Record,” wants to bring a “message of hope” to the community of Woodstock, which has had five youth suicides since early January.
Landsberg has been public about his own battle with depression, and created #SickNotWeak, a not-for-profit organization that provides mental-health education and support for those suffering and their loved ones.
The event will be held Thursday, June 16, 2016 at the Woodstock District Community Complex.
Five people, all under the age of 20, have killed themselves since the beginning of the year in Woodstock, in what an official at the Canadian Mental Association called a “suicide contagion” spreading among local youth.
Earlier this month, students, parents and community members gathered at Woodstock Museum Square to stage a rally to raise awareness about youth suicide.
Landsberg said the students’ walkout inspired him to host the event in the community. Now he wants to bring some joy and hope to the youth of Woodstock.
“At SickNotWeak, our goal is to try to reach and help that one lonely person, that’s all, just one person,” Landsberg told CTV News Channel. “We can’t do a ton, we can do little things though, we can go into a community … tomorrow night and make a tiny bit of difference.”
Landsberg said he is bringing some special guests to the event, including Maple Leafs head coach Mike Babcock.
The event is free and tickets are available online.
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