Josh ChauvinUWindsor grad Josh Chauvin is one of the founders of a website that shares video messages of hope for those living with a mental health issue.

Videos spread message of hope on mental health

Young people suffering with a mental health issue need to know one thing, says UWindsor's first Rhodes Scholar Joshua Chauvin: “It gets brighter.”

Founder and executive director of the It Gets Brighter campaign, he says the vast majority of mental illness is treatable. Its online platform, which launched Wednesday, shares short video messages of hope from those living with a mental health issue and those who support them.

“We want to reinforce that mental health issues can, and should, improve provided that people seek out the help and support that are appropriate for their needs,” says Chauvin, a UWindsor grad (BA 2011) currently studying at the University of Oxford.

University students around the world have collaborated in developing the website, which already hosts more than two dozen videos. They encourage people to contribute their own messages to those in their communities struggling with a mental health challenge.

“We welcome anyone and everyone who wants to submit a video,” Chauvin says. “You don’t have to have a personal experience of mental illness to support those among us that do. Telling others that you’re there to listen can be just as strong of a message.”

Check out the website at itgetsbrighter.org.