‘Helping people succeed’
“There were a lot of mental health campaigns going on, but they were never run by the people who understood what it was like to live with a mental illness,” said Ching.
When she was in her first year of university, Ching fell into a depression. She has since recovered.
“One of the driving forces behind Raising Up Warriors is knowing what it’s like to be in a dark place,” she said.
She is now two years into a bachelor’s degree at Dalhousie, studying social work and disability management.
“I have a heart for vulnerable populations,” she said. “I really value helping people succeed in whatever way they define success.”
Volunteers at her event, held every April, have been affected by mental illness in some way.
Entry to Raising Up Warriors is by donation. It also features a silent auction, with many items being handcrafted by someone affected by mental illness. All money raised at the event is donated.
“Our goal is to give people the hope that recovery is real,” she said.
Ching sees the event as a “safe space” for people to share their stories of mental illness to a community who will listen. Every year features four speakers.
“Our stories from our speakers focus on the negative impact that mental health has had on them and their families,” she said, “but it always ends on a positive note of hope, of recovery, of remission.”
MENTAL HEALTH FILMMAKING
At 2018’s Raising Up Warriors, Ching performed a poem about mental illness overtaking the mind. The next year, she performed the poem’s second half, highlighting recovery. She later had both parts filmed and submitted to the Changing Minds Young Filmmaker Competition in New York.
Ching placed in the top 10. “It wasn’t about me, and the event wasn’t about me,” she said, “it was the fact that, through my words, I could convey a message of hope.”
Ching enjoyed the experience of the first film and is currently in the process of creating a second one, “In the Shadows.” This film, though, won’t be about her.
The film will feature five other people. Voice disguised. Faces hidden. Sharing their own stories of living with mental illness.
MAKING CHANGE
In 2018 and 2019, Ching was disabled with a heart condition. She said she missed out on a lot of life. It no longer affects her, and she aims to live life to the fullest.
“That’s why I’m so passionate, so driven, so motivated to make change,” she said. “The little things just make me extremely full of joy.”
While Ching’s fundraiser emphasizes recovery, she wants individuals to decide what recovery means to them. Whether that means being able to hold a job or just being able to take a shower.
“I don’t want to put success in a box,” she said.
DID YOU KNOW?
Brianna Ching is the founder of Raising Up Warriors, which holds a yearly fundraising event for mental health.
In 2019, she created a film about mental health and submitted it to the Changing Minds Young Filmmaker Competition in New York. It made the top 10 out of almost 1,000 submissions.