On Wednesday, November 23, UBC unveiled the Friendship Bench at Brock Hall. The new bright yellow bench acts as a reminder for all of us to sit, breathe, and talk/think about mental health.
The Lucas Fiorella Friendship Bench is a Canadian-registered not-for-profit corporation aimed at decreasing and eventually eliminating the number of suicides among adolescents and young adults. Lucas Fiorella was a Canadian student who suffered from depression and took his own life in October 2014. After his death, a number of his friends and peers spoke out about his selfless efforts in reaching out to them when he sensed they were in need of someone to talk to.
Through mental health awareness education initiatives like the yellow Friendship Bench, the Lucas Fiorella Friendship Bench aims to encourage conversation and education among students about mental health, and recognizing symptoms of anxiety and depression, and to connect students to mental health resources on-campus and in the community.
For more information about the Friendship Bench, visit thefriendshipbench.org.