Raffela is a mental health advocate, social entrepreneur, and community leader who combines her lived experience with professional expertise to drive innovative change in mental health services. She is passionate about bridging gaps in care so that no one faces mental health challenges alone. She has worked with a wide range of organizations—including CMHA, Yale University (in collaboration with CAMH), Frayme, Agenda Gap, YCRH, AHS, and numerous youth advisory councils—to amplify marginalized voices, promote resilience, and drive systemic improvements.

Drawing from her lived experience with mental illness and severe ADHD, Raffela creates open, relatable conversations about mental health, fostering inclusive online spaces to normalize mental health challenges. Currently, she’s in the early stages of launching Staya, a social enterprise focused on ensuring that everyone can access the right resources at the right time, regardless of financial or systemic barriers.