Young professionals Adam Caste and Layan Barakat have teamed up for the first of what they hope will become a series of networking events aimed at destigmatizing mental health. Meet and Mingle for Mental Health will be held on Friday, October 11th, 2019 during Canadian Mental Health Awareness week.
The event aims to empower community members who may or may not be struggling with mental health to connect with other professionals in a safe and meaningful way. According to Workplace Strategies for Mental Health “16% of working Canadians say their workplace is a frequent or ongoing source of feelings of depression, anxiety or other mental illness”.
“As professionals, if we don’t normalize being open and vulnerable about our mental health, we can’t expect attitudes or outlooks to shift” said Castle “We’re all just human and that shouldn’t just be accepted, but celebrated as we look to build safe workspaces”.
The event will kick-off with a mindfulness session lead by Shaun Ouellette, Clinical Social Work/Therapist, BA, BSW, MSW, RSW. Attendees will then learn tools and strategies to help them thrive in their career. “Our goal is to let people know they’re not alone” said Barakat “whatever you may be going through, however you may be feeling, there is a community to support and root for you”.
Meet & Mingle for Mental Health will be held at Integrative Healing & Yoga in Belle River, ON. Doors will open at 5:30 pm and the event will run till approximately 8 pm. Admission is free but donations for the CMHA will be accepted. For more information, please visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/72180087585/