by fizza | Jun 3, 2021 | Uncategorized
The New Mentality and Children’s Mental Health Ontario’s Youth Action Committee is excited to announce that our Youth Action Committee will be hosting two consultations exclusively for BIPOC youth! BIPOC stands for Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour. You will experience a space curated just for you through art and meaningful conversations. Join us and be a part of creating a culture of belonging and inclusivity for racialized youth in the Child and Youth Mental Health Sector in Ontario!
Are you a racialized youth in Ontario that identifies with either being low income or male/masculine? The YAC wants to hear from you on Wednesday, June 16th from 5:00 to 6:30pm. Please register here by Monday June 14th.
Are you a racialized youth in Ontario that identifies with either being LGBTQ2S+ or living in northern and remote communities? The YAC wants to hear from you on Thursday, June 24th from 4:30 to 6:00pm. Please register here by Tuesday, June 22nd.
About the YAC
The Youth Action Committee (YAC) is a provincial advisory committee, made up of youth aged 16-25 who work to reduce the stigma surrounding mental health and improve mental health services for children and youth through youth led policy. The YAC identifies a major issue impacting Ontario youth experiencing mental illness and seeks to provide youth-led solutions on these complex issues. Following province wide youth consultations, the YAC works with Children’s Mental Health Ontario’s (CMHO) policy team to generate youth-led policy recommendations. The group works together to deliver findings and recommendations to stakeholders responsible for change.
In 2020, the YAC met for a new policy cycle and narrowed their focus to exploring race in the mental health system where they then released a survey to hear more about the experiences of racialized youth. This year they are looking to deepen their learning before they make recommendations to government and service providers. They will be hosting two consultations on Wednesday June 16th and Thursday, June 24th to explore the experiences of racialized youth in Ontario that identify with either being low income, male/masculine, LGBTQ2S+, or living in northern and remote communities. To learn more about the YAC’s youth-led policy work click here!
Our hope with these consultations is to amplify the voices and experiences of racialized youth within the Child and Youth Mental health Sector across Ontario.
Consultation Eligibility:
- Identify as a racialized individual
- Between the ages of 13-25
- Resident of Ontario
If you have any questions please feel free to contact us at info@thenewmentality.ca
by fizza | Jun 3, 2021 | Uncategorized
Hello everyone,
It has been such a blast visiting all of our TNM groups across the province, and definitely the highlight of the work I get to do as the Network Coordinator!
A couple weeks ago I got to visit our TNM group in Stratford with our partner agency Huron Perth Centre. After a busy day with many calls, I was excited to spend my evening with an amazing TNM group. Less than 5 minutes in, we were already laughing and talking about Astrology and our Hogwarts House… #teamhufflepuff
The youth shared with me all the great work they’ve been doing, and let me tell you they’ve been very busy! From building relationships, planning a You Matter mental health event with Avon Maitland District School Board, hosting a Music and Art for Mental Health virtual showcase, creating resources for youth by youth, to youth rebranding their logo for their TNM group name New Horizons! The youth even have created their own TNM group playlist on Spotify which you can check out here!
It was great to hear how interested the youth were in being a part of Disable the Label 2021 this summer as they weren’t able to attend in the past. I got to share how magical DTL really is, and is a space where youth and adult allies can come together and deeply explore mental health advocacy, and express themselves through art! It’s also a great opportunity to build connections, step outside of our comfort zones and make new friends.
One of the highlights of hearing all the great work these incredible leaders have been doing in their community was hearing how two youth met, and became best friends. It just reminded me once again of how incredibly magical our network truly is!
It is so important in the times we are in now to really focus on building relationships since we’ve gone virtual, and are all missing that in person connection. I really appreciated how the group has focused on building long lasting friendships, and bringing a sense of community and belonging.
Thank you to the youth and adult ally for so many laughs, and I can’t wait to see you soon at DTL 2021!
See you all soon on Zoom,
Fizza Abbas, Network Coordinator
by fizza | Apr 29, 2021 | Uncategorized
Hello everyone,
I can’t believe I’m not even halfway through visiting all our TNM groups across the province (autocorrect wrote “across the globe”….maybe one day?)!
Last week I got to visit our TNM group in London with our partner agency Humana Community Services. I was only able to join a portion of their meeting, but I felt like I had known everyone for many years! The youth and adult allies were incredibly welcoming and made me feel so special. It took us no introductions at all to get straight into the entire group talking about how much spice they can handle and absolutely cannot handle….as a master of spices, I suggested everything should be spicy (others may disagree)! One youth was definitely on the same wavelength as me, and shared that they love eating Trinidadian Roti and how they’re going to try and have a Roti Night at a meeting soon and of course would invite me – Am I lucky or what? #rotiadvocacy
After lots of laughs, we got into our check in and I really liked the way they began their check in by sharing one good thing that happened this week and one thing that didn’t go so well but how they reframed it. This allows the group to have tools for self-care and be able to see a different perspective to not so great situations. I really appreciated how both the youth and adult allies were open to having honest, and vulnerable conversations in particular talking about anti-racism and how it is one of their goals to continue having these conversations both in and outside of the network.
Before our virtual group visits, it’s important to me to connect with the adult allies and check in as they are a huge part of the work we do! I came to learn of all the amazing projects the group is working on, especially during Children’s Mental Health Week. The theme of their week is How To Be Your Own Superhero, where they will be having activities daily from yoga, cooking classes, a professional dance routine, movie night to youth sharing their stories, and having an author come and speak at the event!
The energy in the space just made me so happy, and seeing how kind and excited the youth were for one another reminded me of just how incredibly magical our network truly is! It was also great to hear how interested the youth were in being a part of Disable the Label 2021 this summer as they weren’t able to attend last year.
Thank you to the youth and adult allies for such a warm welcome, and I can’t wait to see you soon at DTL 2021!
See you all soon on Zoom,
Fizza Abbas, Network Coordinator
by fizza | Apr 23, 2021 | Uncategorized
Hey everyone,
I have been having so much fun visiting our TNM groups all across the province the last few months, and can’t wait to visit more! Meeting so many of you already and seeing the great work you all continue to do in your communities is the best part of the work I get to do.
Last week I got to visit our TNM group at Wellkin Child & Youth Mental Wellness! I had gotten the chance to visit their Youth Hub a couple months ago, and it was just so amazing to see how the group engages youth in their community through so many different activities! To learn more about the hub click here.
From the start of the meeting to the end I was just so impressed. The youth facilitators begin the meeting with a land acknowledgement and recognize that this is just the first step to push for truth and reconciliation. They encouraged everyone at the meeting to continue to learn more, and recognized that it can be hard but that the greatest learning and change happens when we’re outside of our comfort zone. After the land acknowledgement, the youth facilitator also discussed pushing for equity for all. As a leader of colour, I was so proud to see these youth speak so candidly and honestly about the importance of equity for all communities.
After our conversation on equity, we had a check in about what we’re most looking forward to this summer and I got to meet a special feline friend who goes by “Orange Juice” who spent the rest of the meeting with us and now I want to get a cat even more!
I got to hear and see a glimpse of all the projects that this group works on, from creating videos to share with youth in the community about the work they do and hosting multiple virtual events for Children’s Mental Health Week, to building sensory walls in therapists’ rooms, to planning socially distanced walks in the future…. There is so much this group does, that I’m pretty sure I might have missed the numerous other projects they continue to work on!
One thing that stood out to me instantly was how passionate and thoughtful the group was, and how they really value accessibility for all in their community. They really wanted to ensure that everyone in their community could participate in their programming while ensuring that COVID-19 stay at home orders were also being respected.
Visiting these youth and seeing how supportive and encouraging their adult allies was so great, and I can’t wait to see all the great work they continue to do!
Thank you to the youth and adult allies for the warm welcome and for completely immersing me into the magic of your group.
See you all soon on Zoom,
Fizza Abbas, Network Coordinator
by fizza | Apr 16, 2021 | Uncategorized
Hello everyone!
I know you’re probably wondering… hey where did Fizza go? Is she still visiting groups virtually? the answer is YES!
Last week I got to visit our TNM group at Strides Toronto and let me start off by saying that this has been one of the most anticipated virtual group visits thus far, as we had scheduled this back in early January!
I can’t even put into words how truly amazing these youth and adult allies are! They do such great work in their community, and are always looking for ways to uplift the message and mission of The New Mentality.
I got the privilege to attend their Virtual Talent Not Required Show, which is a staple of The New Mentality and our annual Disable the Label (DTL) retreat! I got to meet the youth just before the event, and it was so much fun just laughing and gave me complete DTL vibes that we all love and enjoy so much.
What I noticed instantly was how supportive the youth were of one another. Youth who have been a part of TNM for many years were encouraging and uplifting youth who have recently joined as they emceed their first event!
As the event began, we heard poetry, singing, saw beautiful artwork, a dance performance, watched beautiful instruments be played, and even witnessed one youth complete a Zelda game in under 5 minutes… I don’t think this was truly a Talent Not Required Show because everyone was SO incredibly talented! We even played such fun games during intermission and youth won prizes throughout the event.
It was so heartwarming to see how supportive everyone was of another, from the messages continuously coming through the chat box, zoom reactions filling the screens with hearts, to all the claps and snaps – it was the best way to spend my Thursday evening!
Thank you to all the youth and adult allies at Strides Toronto for all the uncontrollable laughs! I am so proud of all of you, as you continue to change the world and inspire all those around you and can’t wait to be cheering you all on as you do.
See you all soon on Zoom,
Fizza Abbas, Network Coordinator
by fizza | Apr 13, 2021 | Uncategorized
Hello and Assalamualaikum (peace be upon you) Friends!
Ramadan Mubarak to all those celebrating today or tomorrow! Just like last year, the next month of Ramadan will look quite different once again. For those of you who may be unfamiliar with the month of Ramadan, it is a month where Muslims around the world take time to reflect, give back to their community and fast during the day, abstaining from eating and drinking in addition to abstaining from swearing, gossiping, arguing etc.
Muslims will begin their fast just before sunrise with a meal called “sehri or suhoor” which loosely translates to a meal that is eaten early in the morning, and fasting ends just after sunset, with a meal called “iftaar”. This is a time for blessings, and is a month that many Muslims really look forward to as it is a time to spend with loved ones, give back to the community and other charitable causes, and eat lots of delicious meals!
Though we won’t gather for our big Iftaar parties with our friends and family this year, be able to go to the Mosque for Friday prayers, or attend all the Melas last minute to purchase our best Eid outfits just days before… it doesn’t mean we can’t find ways to connect with our community!
Here are some ways I’ll be staying connected and prioritizing self care, and you can too:
- Connect With a Local or (Global!) Mosque
Many mosques are finding safe ways to keep connected and support their community during this month. Connecting with your local mosque might spark ideas for you and your family about how to feel closer to community during this time. Many mosques hold great opportunities to stay connected whether that’s having a virtual iftaar party, a drive-thru pick up of your iftaar meals, social events and so much more. Look to your local mosque to see how you can get connected, or why not try something new, and connect virtually with a mosque globally! Scroll down below and see some mosques and organizations that are hosting amazing virtual events this Ramadan.
- Find New Ways to Connect With Friends and Family
Gathering with friends and family is a special and important part of Ramadan for many and it is natural to experience feelings of sadness or grief over not being able to gather this year. Collaborate with close friends and family on different ways you can safely connect this year through Zoom or FaceTime calls, to still feel close to loved ones during this time. I know I’ll definitely be hosting a virtual Iftaar party with my friends and family!
- Give Back to the Community
Ramadan is a time to give back to the community and other charitable causes! For myself personally giving back is very important as it gives me a great sense of motivation, and encourages me to find new initiatives that I can support in my community. Every Ramadan, I try to find different organizations to donate to, volunteer my time for, or support in any way I can. This helps me to stay connected, and support community initiatives which is an important aspect of Ramadan.
- Balance Between Rest & Action
Fasting can also bring about changes to your energy levels and for some that might mean needing to take more moments of rest. Others might want and enjoy getting active and getting outdoors (safely). Take a few moments in your day to check-in on what you need. These moments can be great acts of self-care.
For many the month of Ramadan can bring changes to your daily schedules and routines. As it feels comfortable, communicate your needs with those around you. For some that might be moving your lunch hour to accommodate for time for prayer, for others that might be starting your workday a bit earlier or later. Communicate what feels best for you and your needs.
Looking to learn more? Here is another great resource from Fahmida Kamali on how to support Muslim communities during the month of Ramadan.
There are so many incredible initiatives and organizations to support that continue to do great work for the community not just during Ramadan, but throughout the year. Below you will find just a few places that are offering virtual programming to stay connected!
- Naseeha Muslim Youth Helpline – Provide a safe zone for youth and individuals to talk and get the help they need.
- Who Is Hussain Toronto – A social justice movement with teams in 90 cities across the globe. They host regular events to help the homeless, provide meals to people in need and donate blood to save lives – and much more.
- Nisa Homes – a non-government, not-for-profit charitable organization that provides a safe haven and support services to women, children and families who are experiencing homelessness and/or domestic and family violence, poverty or seeking asylum.
- Reconstructed Magazine – A creative Magazine run by Black, Shi’a, and queer Muslims seeking to reconstruct what it looks like to carry closeness to Islam.
- Masjid al-Rabia – a BIPOC led, LGBTQ+ affirming, and racially accessible Islamic Community Centre focused on spiritual support for marginalized Muslims.
- The Muslim Alliance for Sexual & Gender Diversity – Works to support, empower, and connect LGBTW Muslims.
- Khalil Centre – A psychological and spiritual community wellness center advancing the professional practice of psychology rooted in Islamic principles.
Please note: The descriptions mentioned above have been taken directly from the website/social pages of these organizations, initiatives, and mosques and you can find out more about them by clicking on the links above.
Fizza Abbas, Network Coordinator
