WE LIP Success Story | September 2021
Healthy Mind in a Healthy Body: Multilingual Virtual Mental Wellness Sessions
After a review by Windsor Essex Local Immigration Partnership (WE LIP) council members of the Mental Health Roundtable report produced in fiscal year one (2020 – 2021), WE LIP partnered with the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) and the Migrant Worker Community Program (MWCP) to produce Healthy Mind in a Healthy Body, a series of mental wellness information sessions offered virtually in Spanish, French, Arabic and English.
Informed by community partners, Healthy Mind in a Healthy Body was targeted to an audience of newcomers, as well as International Students and Migrant and Temporary Foreign Workers. These multilingual sessions focused on the common feelings of depression and anxiety, and offered techniques to help build resiliency against life’s stressors. Participants were given tools to help manage feelings, recognize early warning signs of depression and anxiety, and were given local resources and information so that they may feel more comfortable reaching out for help when needed.
To reduce participation barriers, the sessions did not require registration. Instead, they were broadcast live through the CMHA, WE LIP, and the MWCP’s Facebook pages. Participants were given the opportunity to ask questions through Facebook, and each session was recorded for further sharing.
A secondary success to this initiative was the opportunity to use We Speak (www.wespeak.ca) for consecutive interpretation during the Spanish language session, Mente sana en cuerpo sano. The use of We Speak was an opportunity for partners and community members to see how fluid and easy cross-language communication can be with the use of professional interpretation.
To view and share the Healthy Mind in a Healthy Body sessions, to download a pdf of the content, or to read the Mental Health Roundtable report, please visit: https://www.workforcewindsoressex.com/we-lip-mental-health-initiatives/
Depression and anxiety can impact everyone.
Please do not hesitate to share these sessions widely with any person or group who may benefit.
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