Hi there! I am Raphy (Raphaëlle) Falardeau. I’m half Swiss, half French-Canadian and I am from a small town near Ottawa. Since I was a teenager, I always said I would not be happy if I was not creating art, so I moved to Sudbury and completed my Advanced Diploma in Graphic Design with Honours from Cambrian College.

I’ve been working with youth for almost three years, and I’m constantly amazed by the energy and passion that young people have. I centre my work around the needs and questions that youth have and some of the areas I have focused on in previous roles have been starting new clubs and social groups and organizing seminars about mental health and the topics of interest for the 2SLGBTQ+ community. I’ve always worked well with youth because I see myself as a big kid: always curious and always passionate about learning.

Throughout my life, my generalized anxiety went unnoticed from others and even myself, as I never took it seriously. Now that I have received a diagnosis and I have begun to learn more about myself and how to live with anxiety, I have taken on an interest in helping other youth along their path to a healthier mind. The first step is to talk about it and I believe the second step is to start working on getting the support you need to be in a good place.