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About Tanner Evan Bergsma
Tanner Bergsma is a Canadian autistic international best selling author, keynote speaker, and youth leader dedicated to advancing mental health, inclusion, and systemic change at local, national, and global levels. A psychology student at Wilfrid Laurier University, Tanner combines academic grounding with lived experience, policy engagement, and frontline advocacy to drive meaningful, evidence-informed solutions.
Once experiencing chronic homelessness, Tanner now serves on multiple nonprofit and municipal boards and advisory committees, contributes to national initiatives, and represents Canadian and North American youth in international forums. Tanner has worked alongside the United Nations to advance the Sustainable Development Goals, including contributing to youth-authored policy declarations and intergenerational governance efforts.
A TEDx speaker, number one Amazon best selling author, certified project manager, and founder of mental health initiatives, Tanner is known for translating complex issues into clear, actionable insights that inspire engagement and change. Tanner's work centers on strengthening communities, amplifying underrepresented voices, and removing systemic barriers for those most often left behind.
"When I tell my story, it still brings tears to my eyes. I did not believe I would see myself here. I was adopted. My family childhood reflected a lot of misunderstandings. Although fairly good for the most part, esculated tensions within family environments is what lead to me being homeless in 2021. It was not until April of 2024 that I was able to officially get stabilized. However, in October, of 2024 I was officially diagnosed with autism. Since then, I have grown to share my story across the world. I struggled for a long time in feeling understood. Bullied as a child and signficant loss lead me to drinking. However in October 2024. I made a choice. I made a promise to God that I would help heal the world, and unify as one. To bring peace across all of our nations. To turn my pain from my past to powerful moments across stages to inspire others. To ensure that people were not alone. To advocate for their voices. The following years lead me to speak on multiple TEDx stages, and write global policy in the International Forum, We, the Youth. I advocated for our youth in the United Nations. Most importantly, I began to advocate for action on the Eunpyeong Declaration, of which I co-authored alongside dozens of youth in South Korea. I successfully implemented a warming centre in Stratford Ontario to ensure our homeless population had somewhere to go in the winter. This shelter saved dozens of lives over the wintertime. I am the co-founder of Luminwell Foundation, which is a transnational organization aiming to create wrap around peer to peer support for struggling persons internationally. I am the co-founder of the Global Youth Sustainability Council, a transnational organization that is helping to advocate for sustainability across 12 different countries. I tell you this now as I want you to realize that there is still hope. You have the ability to overcome anything if you set your mind to it. The experiences that once made me feel helpless BECAME the fuel I needed to move mountains. I know you can move mountains too" - Tanner Evan Bergsma, May 2026