THE WEIGHT OF A HEARTBEAT - RiseUp collaboration (short story)

Authors Note

In collaboration with RiseUp powered by Kids Help Phone, I've been chosen to write a short story to raise awareness of the e-mental health service for Black youth across Canada, which provides them with wellness and mental health support and resources.

This story centers on Allix, a young girl burning the candle at both ends in school and at home in an effort to be the perfect daughter and eldest sister while navigating first-time heartbreak.

It's a story I can connect with deeply on a personal level. As a young Black woman who was the eldest daughter in a single-parent household, asking for help is something I always struggled with. I grew up believing that I had to be strong, and being strong meant suffering in silence and not being an emotional burden on those I care about to ensure they were not impacted by whatever it was I was battling. It took a lot of years and life experiences to teach me that true strength is recognizing when you need help. It's understanding that you deserve to take up space and to feel as safe and valued and loved as those you seek to protect. But sometimes we need the assurance of complete privacy from an ear that will listen without criticism or judgment, and without the risk of whatever deeply personal issues we have to discuss will not be shared as gossip fodder in the hallways at school.

I wish a program like RiseUp existed when I was a teen, but it warms my heart to know that an initiative like it exists for my children, when the time comes.

I hope you enjoy Allix's story of discovering the help and safe space she needs to overcome these obstacles.

For anyone struggling with their mental health, wellness or difficult circumstances and in need of a safe space of their own, I strongly urge you to connect with RiseUp. Black youth can text RISE to 686868 to connect with a trained, volunteer crisis responder, at any time of day or night!

***