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PODCAST

REFRAMED - Real life, Re-Storied

This podcast explores diverse perspectives and strategies for navigating mental wellness within the Black community, fostering resilience and empowerment. Join us for candid conversations and practical insights on prioritizing cultural safety and healing in a world of unique challenges and triumphs.

Upcoming episodes

🎙️Tues, 24th February

Host: Haze Schepmyer
Guest: Mairo Ahmadu

🎙 Tues, 3rd March

Host: Haze Schepmyer
Guest: Jason Belanger

🎙️Coming soon

Host: Haze Schepmyer
Guest: TBD
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This scholarship was created in Harlyn’s memory — to carry her creativity, her voice, and her spirit forward into the lives of young people who need them most.

Who was Harlyn

Harlyn Fortuna Belanger was remarkable. Artistic and articulate, she had a gift for expression that moved the people around her. She felt deeply, and she had the rare ability to turn that depth into something others could see and hold onto.

When Harlyn died by suicide on June 7, 2025, the loss was felt profoundly by her family and community. In her memory, Black Mental Health Canada created an educational series on suicide awareness and prevention — supporting the community with open, honest conversations that are so needed and so rarely had.

Harlyn’s story, and the way she lived, became the heart of that work.

“We honour what they loved — not how they left this earth.”

— The spirit behind this scholarship

What Harlyn loved was art. Expression. The act of taking what is hard to say and finding a way to say it anyway. That is exactly what this scholarship is built to support.

About the Scholarship

The Harlyn Fortuna Belanger Memorial Scholarship provides funding for children and youth to access Expressive Arts Therapy — a form of therapeutic support that uses creative modalities including visual art, music, movement, writing, and storytelling to support emotional healing and mental wellness.
This scholarship exists because we believe healing should be accessible, and that creativity is not a luxury — it is a language. For young people who struggle to put their pain into words, the arts can open a door that nothing else can.

Harlyn’s story, and the way she lived, became the heart of that work.

What is Expressive Arts Therapy? Expressive Arts Therapy combines psychology and the creative process to promote emotional growth and healing. It draws on multiple art forms — painting, music, movement, poetry, drama, and more — and is recognized as particularly powerful for children and youth who have experienced trauma, grief, or emotional difficulty. No artistic skill or background is required to benefit. Learn more →
WHO CAN APPLY

Children & youth aged 6–24

WHO CAN APPLY

Children & youth aged 6–24

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Are you in trouble and in need of help? Yes, I need help now

NEED HELP NOW

The Black Youth Helpline Text or email: 9-8-8 Suicide Crisis Helpline || Call or text, 24/7 Crisis Call Centre Wellness Together Canada, Text
1-833-294-8650 info@blackyouth.ca 9-8-8
(800) 273-8255 741741

RSVP & BUY TICKET-$150

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