What do you think about joining Do You Mind?
The community mental health leadership program Do You Mind? kicks off soon. The seven-month program offers the skills and connections to identify and address mental health challenges in the 2SLGBTQ+ community, and the chance to build and implement your own mental health and well-being program.
It may sound challenging, but it can also be a very rewarding experience. Take the word of Kris Fung (he/they), a participant of last year’s program. Kris describes how he enjoyed the program, and how it introduced him to new members of his own community.
Kris Fung (he/they) is a former participant from last year’s Do You Mind? cohort. (Photo by Kris Fung)
Q: One of the major priorities of the Do You Mind? program is to create a safe, inclusive and non-sexualized space for queer and trans folks to connect. In what ways has the program helped you connect with your community?
A: Do You Mind has helped me connect by introducing me to queer and trans people outside of my social circles, and outside of my usual exposure through public events. This allowed me to get to know more about different experiences and get to know people more than just through biographies and description. I got to know personalities, life experiences, and stories, which is important to me. This made me feel connected in a time of isolation in COVID.
Q: In the Do You Mind? program, people can expect to gain queer health literacy and learn how to share that with others. What was your biggest take-away from your experience?
A: My biggest takeaway was radical honesty. It was something verbalized and practiced in every meeting. It puts to words the pressure and expectation of needing to perform and conform to social standards to be accepted in general public community, and an actionable solution. As this plays a huge role in queer health, learning about this in words and in practice is something I found indispensable. Allowing radical honesty, modelling, and practicing it during the program promoted a healthy, positive, safe, yet vulnerable (in a good way), space for people to open up to each other. It allowed for people to show up and participate comfortably as they needed, while knowing that there is forgiveness and understanding in difference modes of expression, contribution, participation.
Q: This is a very new program specific to mental health promotion within HEAL. What excites you about working to improve queer mental health?
A: The potential of finding better ways of connecting queer people to resources, and identifying and acting on community-focused and community-led concerns.
Q: Any last words to those who are thinking about signing up?
A: You don’t need to know a thing in order to join. You do not have to be “queer enough”, “involved enough”, “know enough”. If you feel like you need to know more before you join this program, this is a perfect place to start! Do it! You won’t regret it.
Do You Mind? is a free program that builds individual and community capacity to respond to community mental health challenges. Meeting just one hour each week, participants learn about 2SLGBTQ+ mental health and community-based health promotion, with the chance to design and implement their own program promoting community mental health and well-being.
So, how will you promote community mental health? What challenges will you find solutions for? The program runs from September to March; no experience is necessary! Click here to learn more about the program or sign up!
Last year, the program ran an intergenerational mentorship program for 2SLGBTQ+ folks. You can check out the previous project by clicking here!