Strengthening Mental Health in Cultural-Linguistic Communities
CURA Demonstration Project:
Strengthening Mental Health in Cultural-Linguistic Communities
led by Kitchener Downtown Community Health Centre
Strengthening Mental Health in Cultural Linguistic Communities” is a unique two year project of The Kitchener Downtown Community Health Centre. It is a demonstration project of the “Taking Culture Seriously in Mental Health” Community University Research Alliance (CURA). The purpose of this project is to promote mental health education and leadership training for cultural linguistic minority communities in the Waterloo Region. This project will create a synergistic effect, creating change at three levels: cultural linguistic communities, mental health practitioners and system policy/planning. Essential to this project is relationship building and sustainability beyond the two-year funded term both within and amongst cultural-linguistic minority communities in the Waterloo Region. The Cultural-linguistic communities participating in this project are: Afghani, Chinese (Mandarin), Latin American (Spanish), Polish, Sikh-Punjabi, Somali and Sudanese.
Project Goals include:
- Building relationships and awareness between communities and mental health organizations. Working in partnership with community groups and community-based organizations to ensure success of health education initiatives.
- Helping communities better understand the mental health system.
- Creating positive change by working with the seven cultural-linguistic communities in the Waterloo Region.
- Increased responsiveness of existing mental health services to cultural diversity.
- A final outcome is an increased understanding of how to provide mental health services and supports that are culturally empowering.
Seven Mental Health Navigators have been hired for this project. For more information please contact Alida Abbott at 519-741-1318 ext. 243