Personal Story – Bipolar Disorder – South Asian Mental Health Alliance

One of our goals for this year is to publish all of the great content from our conferences, workshops, and from the amazing mental health advocates in the South Asian community.Â

Check out the first of these videos on our YouTube channel: Karen Aujla sharing her personal experience with Bipolar Disorder at the South Asian Mental Health Alliance Community Summit in Surrey, BC. https://youtu.be/G8pVRbpyV88 (link also in our bio). Shoutout to mental health ambassadorÂ @26kareÂ for the inspirational message and for her ongoing support of SAMHAA, and@jacquilekamboÂ for the final editing. We are honoured to have Jacquile, a talented young film maker, on the team. This video and many of those to be published were filmed by our friend Jenni Rempel who passed away last year and we dedicate them in her memory. 💙

South Asian Youth Mental Health (SAYMH) Project

We’re proud to offer a unique opportunity to become a #SouthAsian Youth Mental Health (SAYMH) project ambassador in our first phase of this exciting new project, based out of the Dasmesh Wellness Centre in Surrey, BC.

SAYMH trainees will participate in a Mental Health Ambassadors retreat from Friday, June 28 through Sunday, June 30, 2019. The mandatory orientation & opening session will take place on Friday, June 28 at the Dasmesh Wellness Centre (adjacent to Gurdwara Sahib Dasmesh Darbar, 12885 – 85 Avenue, #SurreyBC). The retreat will then commence on Saturday, June 29 at the Edenvale Retreat & Conference Centre (4330 Bradner Road, #Abbotsford). Trainees will gather on the morning of Saturday, June 29 at Dasmesh Wellness Centre and be taken by bus to Edenvale. The retreat will include the Canadian Mental Health Commission’s #MentalHealth First Aid certification course, as well as public speaking, system navigation, wellness, cultural safety, and community engagement workshops with experienced professionals. Trainees will be transported by bus back to Dasmesh #Wellness Centre on the evening of Sunday, June 30. The retreat includes an overnight stay on Saturday night at Edenvale.

In total, twenty-four applicants will be selected for this first phase of the project. Participants who graduate from the retreat will be making a 6-month commitment to apply their learned skills in community workshops and outreach activities, which will be eligible for volunteer hours recognition.
Requirements for the retreat applicants are as follows.
Participants must be: – Between the ages of 16 and 29.
– Living in British Columbia.
– Available to attend the full retreat from start to end (no exceptions).
– Willing to commit to a part-time (average 8 to 12 hours per month) voluntary Ambassador role with SAMHAA for six months after the retreat.

Visit samhaa.org/SAYMH to apply!