Music for Mental Health performed to a record 200 attendees at its 10th-anniversary show this week, collecting around $5,000 in donations for the Canadian Cancer Society.
The event, hosted at Yellowknife’s Northern Arts and Cultural Centre, was organized by the students and staff of John Franklin High School and fostered a night of vulnerability and mental health.
“Expressing your emotions, being vulnerable, is a pathway to better mental health, your self-awareness of your emotional health. It was so rewarding,” said Mark Kilbride, an organizer and member of staff at Sir John Franklin High School.
Over the past decade, Kilbride said the show has evolved a lot since the first time he organized it.
“It flowed a lot better,” he said. “It’s a lot to take on with seven different bands and just a really quick transition. But also it’s a team effort from everybody involved.”
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What made the show such a success wasn’t just the various musical acts that performed, he said, but the speeches delivered that night.
“Marissa, one of the students here who lost her mother, she got up and just at that young an age, had that courage. I was floored by her vulnerability, and it led me to kind-of open up a little bit more,” said Kilbride.
Moving forward, Kilbride hopes to continue the show supporting different organizations. In the meantime, he’s thankful for all the people who came out to this edition.
“There’s lots going on in Yellowknife, but I appreciate all the support,” he said.
“Last night was special.”
