Insights Report, South Asian Mental Health Festival
The South Asian Mental Health Festival was a free day-long series of events and workshops held virtually that were aimed at facilitating internal and external reflections on mental health in South Asian communities. The day was delivered on Saturday 4th December 2021 by South Asian Sisters Speak (SASS), Desi Minds, Taraki and Expert by Experience. This insight report gives a summary of the day, evaluation and key learnings to consider for future deliveries.
The key aims for the South Asian Mental Health Festival were to:
Facilitate a better understanding of the context behind mental health inequities in South Asian communities.
Provide a space for participants to learn about mental and emotional health through an intersectional lens.
Equip participants with ways of knowing and supporting themselves as well as those around them.
The festival had a budget of £1,000 which was self-funded by the 4 collaborative organisations. This included £500 paid by Taraki.
The South Asian Mental Health Festival was delivered virtually on Zoom on Saturday 4th December, starting at 9:30am and finishing at 4:45pm (UK). The day was divided into three sections which focused on the three key aims listed above. There were over 300 participants across all of the events.
Evaluation for the event was undertaken to understand participant demographics, their experience, and their overall feedback.
Community Quotes and Learnings:
"Thank you so much for this experience. I forget which organizer mentioned "I love seeing brown faces," but that really resonated with me and I appreciate that honesty."
"I thought the speakers in the panel session had a very sophisticated understanding of mental health in South Asian communities. Really high-quality session."
"Raveeta's conversation about caste was really validating for me. I thought I was the only one that felt like this topic was super hush hush."
"How caste discrimination is still out there and more so about intergenerational trauma, as well as how there are still institutional barriers in supporting people with intersectional identities."
"Self care is easily achievable it doesn't have to be something expensive/time consuming"
