#MoveForMentalHealth
Donation protected
I will be volunteering with SLV Global in Sri Lanka this summer from May 14-June 15, providing psychological aid, running creative therapy groups and teaching English to children and elders of the nearby villages. Sri Lanka has recently come out of a 25 year Civil War, and are still recovering from the tsunami; which can only mean that the locals need positive morale, guidance, and help more than ever.
A glimpse of what I will be doing on the Mental Health Placement:
https://slv.global/sri-lanka-info-pack
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lT9gfVmLtQk
What Mental Health Services are currently like in Sri Lanka:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=38&v=Q-5Y7sqty00
And that's where I wish to start my journey in being part of the solution. But this trip is rather costly and SLV Global has encouraged fundraising as an option to fund the trip. So I've set up a separate gofundme page to help raise money for this volunteer trip. Every donation counts, whether it be $1 or $50, it'll all make a difference somehow - just remember that! :)
========================================
The big reason why I've decided to do this:
According to CAMH, Mental Health affects 1 in 5 Canadians, yet only half of these individuals will ever seek help or are lucky enough to find the help they need. I am extremely grateful to say that I, being a part of that 1 in 5 statistic, have had the privilege of getting help when I needed it. I've been privileged enough to have had a good experience with the student wellness centre at McMaster (which apparently isn't the case for many in the recent months), and support from a team at St. Joseph's HealthCare. With the exception of those closest to me, I've pretty much kept my experience to myself as I never felt confident enough to speak out. I was afraid of what people would think of me. And I just wasn't quite ready to make a move. But through the support of loved ones, and the positive circumstances of the mental health system that have been placed in my life, I'm here today with a heart yearning for change and a hunger to help those that aren't quite as fortunate as I was.
The mental health system has been a big help in my journey, but the reality of it all is that no system is perfect. One would be naive to think so. And volunteering at the Distress Line has emphasized that harsh reality for me, tenfold. I consistently face callers that vent about how the biggest irony in the mental health system is the feeling of being stigmatized by professionals of the field, and feeling like nothing but a number to those that are meant to be helping them. They often feel neglected by the ones that should be mitigating that kind of negativity. And there is a "one size fits all" quick fix mentality that is plaguing this well-intentioned, but poorly-executed system. Evidently, there are holes in the system, but I don't see it as intentional malice; more as a lack in resources and awareness for something that should be getting more attention. People are consistently falling through the cracks because there are never enough counselors, or never enough affordable and easily accessible help for those that really need it. You can see it in the amount of rising student suicides & complaints about long wait lists for university mental health resources. Or outpatients suffering from severe mental disturbance that have been discharged from a program because they didn't quite fit a clinical diagnosis. Apparently no proper diagnosis, no proper treatment. (And yes, I've had a caller vent about that before). Let's face it, this doesn't happen because social workers and psychologists will this to happen, this happens because of a shortage in resources. And that's the key thing I want us to remember when participating in this fundraiser.
As an Idealist and an individual who feels a little bit too much than her ego will ever fully admit, I wish I could help all those who are suffering. Sit down with each individual person and help them feel heard. Because that can make all the difference in the world to someone going through the internal struggles of mental illness. But I'm only one person. And that would be emotionally-taxing on an astronomical level if I were to tackle that beast on my own. So I thought, with the help of all of you, I'd execute the next best alternative for my Utopian Everest goal. In addition to this, I'll also be hosting a Zumba fundraiser to raise awareness for this. So hopefully you're willing to band together and #MoveForMentalHealth <3.
A glimpse of what I will be doing on the Mental Health Placement:
https://slv.global/sri-lanka-info-pack
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lT9gfVmLtQk
What Mental Health Services are currently like in Sri Lanka:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=38&v=Q-5Y7sqty00
And that's where I wish to start my journey in being part of the solution. But this trip is rather costly and SLV Global has encouraged fundraising as an option to fund the trip. So I've set up a separate gofundme page to help raise money for this volunteer trip. Every donation counts, whether it be $1 or $50, it'll all make a difference somehow - just remember that! :)
========================================
The big reason why I've decided to do this:
According to CAMH, Mental Health affects 1 in 5 Canadians, yet only half of these individuals will ever seek help or are lucky enough to find the help they need. I am extremely grateful to say that I, being a part of that 1 in 5 statistic, have had the privilege of getting help when I needed it. I've been privileged enough to have had a good experience with the student wellness centre at McMaster (which apparently isn't the case for many in the recent months), and support from a team at St. Joseph's HealthCare. With the exception of those closest to me, I've pretty much kept my experience to myself as I never felt confident enough to speak out. I was afraid of what people would think of me. And I just wasn't quite ready to make a move. But through the support of loved ones, and the positive circumstances of the mental health system that have been placed in my life, I'm here today with a heart yearning for change and a hunger to help those that aren't quite as fortunate as I was.
The mental health system has been a big help in my journey, but the reality of it all is that no system is perfect. One would be naive to think so. And volunteering at the Distress Line has emphasized that harsh reality for me, tenfold. I consistently face callers that vent about how the biggest irony in the mental health system is the feeling of being stigmatized by professionals of the field, and feeling like nothing but a number to those that are meant to be helping them. They often feel neglected by the ones that should be mitigating that kind of negativity. And there is a "one size fits all" quick fix mentality that is plaguing this well-intentioned, but poorly-executed system. Evidently, there are holes in the system, but I don't see it as intentional malice; more as a lack in resources and awareness for something that should be getting more attention. People are consistently falling through the cracks because there are never enough counselors, or never enough affordable and easily accessible help for those that really need it. You can see it in the amount of rising student suicides & complaints about long wait lists for university mental health resources. Or outpatients suffering from severe mental disturbance that have been discharged from a program because they didn't quite fit a clinical diagnosis. Apparently no proper diagnosis, no proper treatment. (And yes, I've had a caller vent about that before). Let's face it, this doesn't happen because social workers and psychologists will this to happen, this happens because of a shortage in resources. And that's the key thing I want us to remember when participating in this fundraiser.
As an Idealist and an individual who feels a little bit too much than her ego will ever fully admit, I wish I could help all those who are suffering. Sit down with each individual person and help them feel heard. Because that can make all the difference in the world to someone going through the internal struggles of mental illness. But I'm only one person. And that would be emotionally-taxing on an astronomical level if I were to tackle that beast on my own. So I thought, with the help of all of you, I'd execute the next best alternative for my Utopian Everest goal. In addition to this, I'll also be hosting a Zumba fundraiser to raise awareness for this. So hopefully you're willing to band together and #MoveForMentalHealth <3.
Organizer
Elida Dizon
Organizer
Mississauga, ON
