Kylie Verzosa forms online support group for mental health
Reigning Miss International Kylie Verzosa has said that she and some other people have created an online support group in connection with her mental health advocacy.
"I together with my sister and a few good people, have created an online support group for my mental health advocacy. We will be sharing information about mental health issues such as depression, anxiety and bipolar disorder," said Verzosa on Instagram.
"And have created a separate group for people going through it, or who think are going through it. There will be people monitoring it as often as possible. So feel free to join and share! It's an open space," she added.
When the beauty queen from Baguio won 2016 Miss International in Japan, Verzosa vowed to promote mental health and cultural diversity as part of her advocacy.
Sought to give to advice to people suffering from depression, Verzosa said: "It's important to know that you have it. To accept that you have it. Once you know it, it is easier to fight depression like what's really causing it. You take care of your body, your mind, your thoughts. It's not easy but you have to surround yourself with good people, educate yourself and a lot of other things going through it. You are not alone and it is curable."
Before she became a Binibini, Versoza is already a volunteer for the Natasha Goulbourn Foundation, which helps educate people about depression and suicide.
Verzosa is the sixth Filipina to win the Miss International crown. Other Miss International title holders from the Philippines are Gemma Cruz Araneta (1964), Aurora Pijuan (1970), Melanie Marquez (1979), Precious Lara Quigaman (2005) and Bea Rose Santiago (2013).
Pageant expert Jonas Gaffud, who trained Verzosa under the Aces and Queens beauty camp, has said that he wanted her to be the best Miss International titleholder from the Philippines by getting involve in a significant cause.
"Actually hindi lang s'ya kundi I want all my beauty queens to be involved in an advocacy that's closest to their heart at makatulong sa maraming tao," Gaffud said.
Aside from modelling stints, Verzosa will appear as one of the judges for the reality show "Philippines Next Top Model" to be aired on TV5.
The 24-year-old beauty queen is also a pre-school teacher who graduated with a bachelor's degree in business management from the Ateneo de Manila University in Quezon City. - Robert Requintina/TEMPO
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