Newcomer Mental Health Symposium
June 16, 2015 @ Rexdale Community Hub
This one-day symposium brought together representatives from various sectors to engage in dialogue and generate ideas about how better collaboration can improve mental health responses for newcomers and immigrants in Toronto.
The day included a keynote address by Uzma Shakir, Director of the Equity, Diversity and Human Rights Division at the City of Toronto, and presentations by a panel of representatives from mental health programs in Toronto (speaker bios and project descriptions can be downloaded here):
- Rahim Thawer, Sherbourne Health Centre
- Maria Choi, Wellness Centre (Mount Sinai)
- Terence Williams, Parkdale Activity Recreation Centre (PARC) Peer Outreach Program
Symposium attendees participated in facilitated Open Space dialogues that offered the opportunity to share knowledge and ideas, identify common challenges and brainstorm solutions on a number of different topics:
- Newcomer adaptation, integration and mental health
- Culturally accessible services and alternative therapies
- Women, gender and mental health
- Stigma, culture and mental health
- Newcomer youth and mental health
- Refugees, resettlement and mental health
- Facilitating client access to mental health services
A highlight of the day was a participatory theatre presentation by members of Advocacy for Change, a resident-led group working to improve mental health supports for communities in northwest Toronto.
Questions about the symposium? E-mail [email protected]
