An interview with Youth Educator Paul Vincent
Posted January 20th, 2025
Written by: Susan Angel
Educating youth in mental health helps them to become miniature educators themselves, Paul Vincent observes.
With a voice that resonates warmth and eyes that twinkle with energy, 55-year-old Paul embodies the spirit of a lifelong volunteer, seamlessly blending service into the rhythm of his life. As a kid, he performed puppet shows in a hospital when his close friend was being treated for cancer and has also volunteered in a women’s centre. He has been with the Crisis Centre since September 2023, and to date has conducted about twenty-five workshops in schools, about two to three times per month.
What initially drew you to volunteer with the Crisis Centre of BC, specifically as a Youth Educator?
I was involved in the Jeep community for over ten years, raising money for breast cancer research, including emceeing events, selling merchandise, and spreading good cheer overall. But I wanted to volunteer in a more personal and direct way. Having suffered from depression when I was young and having attempted suicide at age 29, I now understand that if I had had help during this period, my younger adult life would have been far less difficult. Searching online, I discovered that the Crisis Centre was looking for volunteers for adult and youth programs. I have a young heart and naturally resonate with young people, so I intuitively knew that the youth position would be perfect for me. A lot of emotional damage can occur before a youth reaches adulthood. The sooner we reach them, the more we can impact their emotional wellbeing.
How do you balance your volunteer activities with your day job?
I have a great job working the night shift in a transportation company yard and have a second part time job. I’m also a podcaster working with a close-knit team, and this too takes up a lot of my time. It was initially difficult to find a comfortable schedule, but Lana, our education coordinator, was highly accommodating and arranged my shifts for Mondays, when I have had a good night’s rest.
Have you been on the Crisis Centre phone lines yourself?
I would really like to do that, but unfortunately, I was unable to make it work with my work schedule. I did take the SafeTALK course, from which I learned how to identify persons with thoughts of suicide and connect them to support to help keep them safe. This course was necessary and has helped me in many ways.
What does a typical day look like for you as a youth educator and what are some of the key topics you cover?
We conduct workshops for classes of eighteen to thirty students and we are constrained to 40-to-90-minute blocks. Our coordinator arranges school timeslots, and we see one class at a time.
Self-Care for Mental Health is the workshop we offer for grades 6 through 12 students. The objective is to inform students that everyone experiences varying degrees of mental health issues, and that there is no shame in this. We do not yet discuss suicide in this workshop, and we keep the activities interactive to keep the students engaged. For example, the “weighed down” activity is effective for showing that worries can weigh us down, like a bag of heavy rocks. The physical weights are a metaphor for the emotional weights we carry, which may involve school, family, social life, sexuality, or even financial issues. The students are keen and smart, and themselves offer solutions, such as confiding in a friend or getting professional help. We are always mindful of our goal, which is to create an awareness of mental health, to remember that we all deal with it to varying degrees, and that we can adopt self-care habits to maintain our mental health.
It’s Okay Not To Be OK is the workshop we offer for grades 9 through 12. The objectives are to learn what a mental health crisis is, how to identify one in another person, and how to support that person, should the need arise. We discuss self- stigma, and how we can often be our own worst enemies. One of the most important pieces of information we deliver in our workshops is the existence of the 9-8-8 help line. It is Canada-wide and can connect the caller with immediate mental health services, in much the way that 911 operates.
How do you create a safe and open environment for youth?
Young people know genuine. They are looking for tools. As educators, we begin each workshop by sharing a story from our past when we have felt emotionally vulnerable. Students naturally trust us knowing that we are volunteers, and they sense that we speak from the heart. They know that we give these workshops because we want to, not because we have to, and this impacts them.
How can we empower young people to seek help and support when they need it?
I think, normalizing the existence of mental health issues, and getting rid of the stigma that comes with them is the number one thing.
Can you describe a moment when you realized the impact your work was having?
We don’t always see a visible impact at our workshops because our time with the students is brief. At one school, we were presented with a card the teens created and all signed, which felt great. What is most satisfying, though, is to know that when the students walk out of a workshop, we have turned each one into a miniature educator. They will have learned what a crisis is, how to recognize a crisis, how not to brush it off, and how to find help. This makes me feel that I have accomplished something important. This work has also impacted my personal life by giving me the ability to support others. Knowing about my involvement in this program, acquaintances have often sought my help, and I’ve been more than happy to give it. I’ve spent hours talking with them and have encouraged them to visit a counsellor for emotional support or treatment when necessary. All of this stems from having taken the SafeTALK course and becoming an educator.
What advice would you give to someone considering volunteering with the Crisis Centre?
I hope that people want to jump in and volunteer. It’s one of the most rewarding things you can ever do. It’s a tough time to be alive, but it doesn’t take much to be kind. Even the smallest thing can help somebody, and it’s ok not to be ok. Working on the crisis line is not for everyone. It depends on good mental health and state of mind. To help others, we must know how to help ourselves.
Paul reminds us that while helping others can be deeply rewarding, it requires compassion, awareness, and the ability to care for oneself. For those ready to take that step, it’s an opportunity to make a meaningful difference, one small act of care at a time.
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