Dan Nixon is a young activist who is working for change in the areas of health and wellness, social justice and the environment.
Nixon was one of three B.C. youths who recently received a Champions of Wellness Award. He won in the Supporting Others category. The award was given out by the Kelty Mental Health Resource Centre, at the Balancing Our Minds Youth Summit. The event was held at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver on Feb. 12.
“It was a surreal experience,” said Nixon. “There were 1,600 kids there. There were speakers, singers and a psychologist who did laugh yoga with us.”
It was Vancouver Canuck, Kevin Bieksa who presented the award to Nixon.
“That was really cool,” Nixon said. “Kevin gave me a signed jersey, a medal and two Canucks tickets as well.”
Being supportive of others, means being there to listen explained Nixon.
“I don’t like it when people are sad,” he said. “I just like to be someone they can talk to and know that I’m always there. If there is nowhere else to go, I am all ears.”
Mental health issues, depression and self-harm are prevalent in high schools today, according to Nixon. He also said there is a real stigma surrounding the issues.
“Everyone associates being depressed with being weak, when really it is an illness,” he explained.
It amazes Nixon that so little emphasis is put on mental wellness, while there is so much focus on looking good on the outside. He attributes much of the depression experienced by youth today to peer pressure.
“They have pressure trying to fit into this mold that they think they should be in, when really they can just be whoever they want to be,” he said.
That mold for girls is to be skinny, long legged, with beautiful long hair, Nixon explained. For boys it means having large biceps.
Even though Nixon has been recognized for what he has done to support others, he remains humble.
“I don’t think I do extraordinary things,” he said. “There are so many other kids in my school that do just as much as me.”
Nixon is also one of the co-founders of the Youth Empowerment Project (YEP), whose slogan is “empowering youth through knowledge.”
Registering YEP as a non-profit group was “stressful” and a “real learning experience,” Nixon said.
Caitie Shaw is another one of the five founding members of YEP. She and Nixon are the spokespersons for the group.
“We just try to inspire kids to follow their passion and make sure they know that youth have a powerful voice and we’re going to make change,” explained Nixon.
On Pink Shirt Day the two were scheduled to speak at a pep rally at the Skaha Middle School in Penticton where they planned to tell the kids, “The biggest message is to be kind to one another. One moment of selflessness every day,” said Nixon. “It’s so simple but it would be so effective.”
YEP has held what they call a Cyber love campaign, encouraging youth to flood the internet with positive words instead of Cyber bullying. They are planning an upcoming environmental campaign to encourage people to reuse plastics rather than discarding them after one use.
Nixon explained that YEP tries to operate on a very low budget. The focus for them is on awareness rather than the monetary.
“I feel there are things that need money to fix and then there are things that need awareness and education,” he said. “Things like the environment and mental health and wellbeing need time and awareness of what is happening.”
When it comes to support for this non-profit group Nixon said, “This community is just amazing. They don’t scoff at us teenagers but rather ask how can we lift you up and help?”
To follow this outstanding Summerland teen and his friends in their efforts, you can go to yepnow.org.
