By Fred Alverado
Fred is a community journalist with FOCUS MEDIA ARTS CETRE.

On Saturday August 19th, 2023, Mental Health Matters held a summer community BBQ event for an afternoon full of fun at 150 River St Party Room to celebrate their students’ accomplishments and their work achievements with the community.
 
The event had live DJ, games, raffles, photo booth, activities for kids, and free halal and vegetarian BBQ.

Mental Health Matters is a youth-led initiative meant to educate and enhance the mental health and well-being of youth in Regent Park. Their vision is to address the stigmas of mental health in our community, and provide a safe space for Regent Park youth to discuss mental health challenges they are experiencing.

RPTV Reporter Kedar Ahmed was at the event to interview community members. His first interview with Rasha, a youth volunteer who emphasized that in marginalized communities where there are perhaps fewer resource to address mental health issues, it's more difficult to fight against the stigma that surrounds mental health. Rasha also mentioned the importance of peer to peer support when people are dealing with emotional crises.

Kedar also interviewed Samaya, another Mental Health Matters participant. Samaya recounted her own journey through personally stressful situations and how she was encouraged by a therapist to join Mental Health Matters. Samaya recounted coming to Mental Health Matters feeling disconnected socially but bonded with people from other backgrounds who all shared the desire to improve their well-being.

The health of a community is defined by its level of cohesion, its ability to be inclusive, and by the degree to which everyone can feel safe and supported. Regent Park is a unique example of where intense diversity has given birth to an equally intense passion to work across difference, and to embrace its many contradictions, in the name of a greater good for all.