Feb. 17, 2026
Content warning: this story mentions suicide.
Before he became a global youth leader and public speaker, Wilfrid Laurier University student Tanner Evan Bergsma navigated challenges not experienced by most students. Homelessness, loss, and mental health conditions shaped his recent past before the arrival of any awards or achievements.
Now, as a Laurier Changemaker, Bergsma is using his lived experiences as a platform — turning personal hardship into advocacy for the social challenges facing young people today.
Bergsma left home just before his 19th birthday due to family challenges, a common factor among youth experiencing homelessness in Canada. Half of all instances of youth homelessness in Canada stem from interpersonal issues, including conflict with parents and caregivers. During the following three years, including his first year at Laurier, Bergsma alternated stays with friends and in community shelters with nights on the streets.
Living estranged from his family and lacking stable housing worsened Bergsma’s mental health. He experienced depression and post-traumatic stress disorder alongside significant grief. Bergsma coped by using alcohol and considered ending his life more than once.
Bergsma at the United Nations Association in Canada's Eco Clubs Experiential Learning Conference in Toronto, February 2026.
“That was a really difficult time in my life,” says Bergsma. “I was struggling — struggling with everything. I did my best to navigate the support systems and resources out there on my own, but it wasn’t easy. I felt very alone.”
Despite seeking help from doctors and counsellors, Bergsma’s struggles continued. He didn’t feel heard or understood by the professionals he spoke with and began to question whether his challenges were rooted in more than trauma. Studying in Laurier’s Psychology program, Bergsma was learning about neurodiversity, cognition and brain function. With support from his church community, he pursued behavioural and psychological testing. In December 2024, he received an autism diagnosis.
“Being diagnosed as autistic as a young adult helped me understand myself better,” says Bergsma. “Working with my diagnosis has allowed me to learn what I needed to succeed going forward. It also made me want to work that much harder to ensure that other young people navigating life challenges like mine — mental health, homelessness, grief — have access to relevant support and care.”
Bergsma’s desire to drive change on social issues affecting young people in Canada led him to Laurier’s Enactus team in fall 2024. Housed within the Laurier Changemakers Hub, team members leverage innovation and entrepreneurship to develop solutions to pressing real-world issues, including affordable housing, sustainability, and inclusion. Bergsma serves as the director of lived experience advisory and offers insight into issues like mental health, homelessness and neurodiversity to enterprises launched through the Laurier Changemakers program.
He competed with Laurier teammates at Enactus Canada’s National Exposition in Calgary in May. The team showcased three student-led ventures and claimed top honours in five categories.
Laurier's Enactus team at the Enactus National Exposition in Calgary, May 2025.
Being part of Laurier’s Changemakers also provided Bergsma with opportunities to participate in global changemaking initiatives.
In September 2025, Bergsma was selected as one of 50 North American youth to participate in International Forum We, the Youth’s (IFWY) Regional Dialogues in New York City. IFWY is organized by the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development and Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation to provide an opportunity for youth changemakers around the world to collaborate on pressing social issues, including sustainability, inequality, conflict and systemic exclusion. Bergsma and other participants authored policy recommendations to help strengthen the future of North America during the two-day event.
In October 2025, Bergsma was elected as one of 150 young people to attend IFWY’s final conference in Seoul, South Korea, as a global youth delegate representing North America. The annual forum brought together young changemakers from around the world to collaborate on policy amendments to support a brighter future for global youth. Bergsma was one of three Canadian youth selected to participate and the only autistic delegate at the conference.
Delegates at the International Forum We, the Youth annual conference in Seoul, South Korea, October 2025.
“Participating in the forum allowed me to connect with other young people who have a vision for a better world,” says Bergsma. “It was a chance to build connections and momentum towards a future that is more just and inclusive, especially when it comes to supporting youth mental health.”
Globally, one in seven youth between the ages of 10 and 19 will experience a mental health condition, with depression, anxiety and behavioural disorders as leading causes of illness and disability among adolescents. Without timely intervention and treatment, mental health conditions can adversely affect adulthood, impacting employment, finances, relationships and overall well-being.
Bergsma shared his lived experiences with mental health, homelessness and neurodiversity at IFWY through a TEDx-style talk. He also participated in workshops and intercultural experiences and concluded the forum by contributing to the creation of the Eunpyeong Declaration, which urges governments to include youth perspectives in policymaking.
Attending IFWY helped Bergsma refine and push forward the vision for Luminwell, his mental‑health venture being developed through the Laurier Changemakers Hub.
Envisioned as a web app, Luminwell will connect young people seeking help to those with similar lived experiences. Using a peer-to-peer model of care, Luminwell matches users with mental health peer counsellors based on characteristics including age, race, gender, location and lived experiences. Once connected, users and peer counsellors can message in-app, share documentation and have voice conversations documented with AI-enabled transcription. Bergsma says the model can scale to include access to mental health professionals for users seeking additional support.
“Tanner’s vision for Luminwell is an innovative approach to mental health support for youth. Easy access to another human who understands what you’re going through because they have lived it could be life-changing for someone who is struggling.”
Laura Allan, assistant professor, Lazaridis School of Business and Economics; director of innovation and entrepreneurship, Laurier
Luminwell has also been accepted into StartUp Lab programming at Laurier’s Waterloo campus, which provides mentorship and business education to emerging entrepreneurs.
“Tanner’s vision for Luminwell is an innovative approach to mental health support for youth,” says Laura Allan, assistant professor at the Lazaridis School of Business and Economics and director of innovation and entrepreneurship at Laurier. “Easy access to another human who understands what you’re going through because they have lived it could be life-changing for someone who is struggling.”
Luminwell recently received $2,500 in funding from the Jeanne Sauvé Global Project Accelerator to expand its impact outside of Canada. Bergsma is working with IFWY delegates in South Korea to grow Luminwell there, as suicide is the leading cause of death among South Korean youth. Bergsma is also working to launch Luminwell in Canada, where suicide is the second-leading cause of death among people aged 15 to 24. To date, Luminwell has received $54,000 in funding.
Bergsma’s commitment to improving the future for his generation goes beyond his studies and involvement with campus programs. He offers a youth perspective as a member of several local and national committees, including the 2025–2026 Youth Advisory Council of Library and Archives Canada, the City of Kitchener’s Economic Development Advisory Committee, and the Youth Ambassador Advisory Committee with The Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund. Bergsma has also worked with Marilou McPhedran, a member of the Independent Senators Group, as part of the Youth Advisory Council of the Canadian Council of Young Feminists.
Bergsma is a certified keynote speaker with jack.org, a Canadian organization raising awareness about youth mental health, and a mental wellness ambassador with Enactus Canada. He has co-authored three books, including Finding the Light Within, The War We Never Chose and Rebirth: Chronicles of Resilience. Bergsma has also delivered keynote and TEDx-style talks for various organizations across Canada.
“I’ve come a long way from where I was a few years ago, and I’m proud of that,” Bergsma says. “My experiences could have broken me, but instead they pushed me to build something better — for myself and for others. I want young people who feel lost or alone to know this: your story isn’t over, and your future can be brighter than you think.”
Have an idea to make a positive change in the world? Visit the Laurier Changemakers Hub online to see how your idea can come to life and make a real-world impact or follow Laurier Changemakers on Instagram.