Train Communities to Heal Youth Through Humour
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My name is Youness Robert-Tahiri, and when I was a teenager, I fled an abusive home and became homeless. Comedy saved my life. Now, I’m using it to help save others.
For the past 10 years, I’ve been leading improv comedy workshops for youth facing adversity—from community spaces in Toronto to centres for orphaned and abandoned youth in South Africa. I’ve seen how laughter helps young people process trauma, build resilience, and feel human again.
I’m now about to graduate with my Honours Bachelor of Science in Psychology Research from the University of Toronto this month, where I’ve spent the last four years primarily studying how humour can foster resilience in youth exposed to adversity.
Despite its promise, humour remains deeply under-researched in youth mental health—often dismissed or overlooked in favour of more conventional approaches. But what I’ve learned, both through research and lived experience, is this: humour isn’t just a coping strategy—it’s a pathway to healing.
And the need for new tools has never been greater. Most young people who need mental health support never receive it. In Canada, suicide is the second leading cause of death for youth. Around the world—especially in this post-pandemic landscape—support systems are overwhelmed and under-resourced.
We need new, community-led solutions that are accessible, scalable, and actually work.
That’s why I’m launching HaHaHelps—a global nonprofit to train everyday people to run comedy-based mental health workshops in their own communities.
No $200-an-hour therapy. No five-year waitlists. Just joy, connection, and evidence-informed tools.
Your donation will go toward:
- Launching a website and nonprofit infrastructure — building the foundation for long-term sustainability and growth.
- Creating a free improv-for-healing curriculum — Designing accessible, trauma-informed tools for use by communities around the world.
- Training local leaders—Empowering everyday people with the skills to lead workshops and foster healing through comedy.
- Piloting programs across Canada and South Africa—Beginning with a six-week launch at SOS Children’s Villages in Cape Town, where I was first invited through a fully funded research and leadership scholarship last summer. This centre supports orphaned and abandoned youth, and it’s where I saw firsthand how comedy can become a lifeline for healing.
I’ve lived it. I’ve tested it. And it works.
This saved me. Now it’s time to use it to save others.
This is a movement—and it’s happening now.
Join us.
Curious about the story behind this movement?
Read the recent University of Toronto article about my work and what inspired HaHaHelps.
Organizer
Youness Robert-Tahiri
Organizer
Toronto, ON