How one comedian is promoting mental health education through laughs

• Using humour to inspire and educate
• Reads to kids on Facebook Live

Big Daddy Tazz can certainly make you laugh. But for him, it’s a way of spreading the powerful word about mental health awareness.

“My role in the mental health community is to enlighten, educate and inspire,” he told Kelowna10 on Oct. 15.

“When I make them laugh, I let them know what mental health is all about. We educate them by saying, 'just because [you've] got this diagnosis’, it doesn’t mean that’s all there is to [you].'”

He hopes to inspire those living with mental health challenges or are hesitant to get help, to overcome it and embrace support.

Tazz wants to combat the stigma around mental health by showing people it’s normal and beneficial to seek assistance.

“It’s all about acceptance,” he said.

COVID-19 impacted many people, and Tazz said it was especially hard for him as a performer.

To help him through the pandemic, he started a program called Tazzy Reads Stuff. There, he takes to Facebook Live and YouTube and reads books to children. He figures he's read about a thousand books over the past 19 months.

“That’s what kept me motivated going through COVID, that was my stage,” Norris said. “I’ve got a following of the kids and it gave me a sense of purpose and that’s what I needed to find.”

With restrictions easing and proof of vaccination being enforced, Norris was back in the Okanagan for a mental health keynote and comedy show at Creekside Theatre in Lake Country.

“The moment I stepped on stage again and you felt that laughter, I got choked up and it was just great again. It’s nice, even in just a small capacity, to be back and bring the laughter because it’s so important,” Norris explained.

His show on Oct. 14 and Oct. 15 was in association with Lake Country Health to promote their mental health initiatives.

“I’ll make you laugh until you cry and then make you laugh again," he said. "It’s the bi-polar way! It’s a great combination of humour and then it’s some very, very serious subjects, and then more humour."