For the past several years, Demi Lovato has made it her mission to break the stigma surrounding mental health, especially while she’s on tour. Just 12 days after a gunman struck down 17 people at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, FL, Lovato arranged for a group of the school’s students to be flown to San Diego for the first night of her new tour.
Taking a moment during her set to discuss our society’s terrible habit of shaming mental health, she brought out the students to emphasize the dangers of putting mental health on the back burner. The students stood along the piano in matching shirts as she spoke about the tragedy, and exited as she dove straight into her powerful anthem, “Warrior.”
According to the San Diego Union Tribune, Lovato belted out the fan favorite as “screens behind her showed fans how they could donate to the CAST Foundation by text message, money she said would go to supporting the students from Florida.”
The 25-year-old has also taken the mental health discussion one step further, by setting up pre-show workshops that give concert-goers the opportunity to discuss mental health issues and find the resources that will help them or someone they know best deal with their situation. “I think every artist has the ability to speak out about things they believe in, and that it’s important, but it’s also a personal choice,” she said. “Some people like to keep it private, and that’s totally their choice. But, for me, I see the importance of sharing my story and speaking out.”
Lovato’s foundation intends to raise money and see that the victims of Stoneman Douglas, and anyone else who struggles with their mental health, will get the assistance and support they deserve.