Sheryl Boswell is the Executive Director and Founder of Youth Mental Health Canada, a registered charitable nonprofit organization focused on youth, family, and community engagement for mental health education, support, advocacy, and change.
Sheryl’s journey to YMHC began in her hometown of Hamilton. As a teenager, she worked with young people with disabilities, went to university to continue her studies in the field, and after university, lived in Zimbabwe for three years and worked as a Special Education teacher.
In Canada, Sheryl has taught elementary, secondary, postsecondary, and adult education students. She is also a trained Life Skills Coach and a Career Counselor.
Sheryl has been a mental health advocate for almost 20 years. She has contributed to change in education to support students with mental health disabilities. She has provided advocacy support for students across Canada.
Sheryl has written five mental wellness workbooks, produced a national youth mental health documentary film with 150 students from three provinces and a national youth mental health film contest, Directing Change Canada, created the largest online mental health platform in Canada and the largest youth mental health social media platforms internationally. Sheryl works with many international suicidologists, experts, and organizations, and is a well-regarded expert and collaborator in the field.
Sheryl has been an active member of the American Association of Suicidology, International Coalition for Addressing and Understanding Suicide Experiences, and the International Association of Youth Mental Health. She has presented at numerous conferences across Canada and internationally and provided youth mental health workshops and training courses on a wide variety of topics for schools, community organizations, professionals, and families.
Sheryl is a suicide loss survivor. The experience of loss has informed her understanding of suicide experiences and suicide prevention.