Mental Health and Wellbeing

Introduction

The Mental Health and Wellbeing project supports ethnic minority individuals in the Forth Valley who experience reduced mental wellbeing to help them lead healthier, happier, and more fulfilling lives. This project is funded by Comic Relief via the Global Majority Fund and is managed by the Coalition for Racial Equality and Rights (CRER). The money raised by Comic Relief supports charities and projects in the UK and around the world. The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted everyone’s mental health and was felt particularly among ethnic minorities, considering the impact of cultural differences, low levels of confidence in the health services, and the difficulties in accessing services due to language barriers. We aim to support ethnic minorities by designing and developing a programme of activities to help improve their mental health and wellbeing, thus leading to an improved quality of life.

For further information on the project and our activities, please access our comprehensive BROCHURE here. You are welcome to download the digital version and share it among your contacts, which can be downloaded HERE.

What do we do?

Our Project helps to address mental health issues and improve the mental health of ethnic minority communities through a varied programme of activities as well as by enabling access to specialist mental health professionals with interpreting services.

Our programme of activities aims to encourage as many people as possible to be more active and to integrate further in their local communities and the wider society.

We are currently offering weekly Art-making workshops and fortnightly Mindful Relaxation sessions. More information on the current activities, including dates and activity briefs can be found HERE.

We can also deliver and/or arrange for the following activities:

• Yoga
• Walking groups
• Cycle trips
• Wellbeing talks
• Volunteering

Anticipated Outcomes

• Challenge the mental health stigma that prevails among ethnic minority communities.
• Enable, facilitate, and improve access to mental health and wellbeing services among ethnic minority communities.
• By engaging in activities, those who experience reduced mental wellbeing to help them lead healthier, happier and more fulfilling lives.
• To address, and thus help to reduce, inequalities in accessing mental health and wellbeing provision in the Forth Valley.

For further information, please contact our Project Coordinator for Mental Health and Wellbeing, Iweta Baran: iweta.baran@csrec.org.uk

Project Staff

Iweta Baran

Resources

MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLBEING RESOURCES RECOMMENDED:

MINDFULNESS

Getting started with mindfulness (overview of what mindfulness is, benefits and guided practices): www.mindful.org/meditation/mindfulness-getting-started/

CSREC Mindfulness Recordings: www.tinyurl.com/csrec01

Mindfulness in Arabic: www.mindfulnessinarabic.org/

OTHER RESOURCES

Action for happiness (videos and podcasts dedicated to wellbeing and self-care topics): www.actionforhappiness.org/resources

Action for happiness Monthly Calendar (a monthly calendar available in different languages with daily reminders to take care of yourself):  https://actionforhappiness.org/calendar

NHS

Five steps to mental wellbeing: https://www.nhsinform.scot/healthy-living/mental-wellbeing/five-steps-to-mental-wellbeing

NHS Forth Valley Self-help resources: https://www.selfhelpguides.ntw.nhs.uk/forthvalley/

Falkirk Mental Health and Wellbeing Resources Leaflet: https://www.cvsfalkirk.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/NEW-Falkirk-Resources-and-Help-Nov-2021.pdf

Mental health services at NHS 24: https://www.nhsinform.scot/illnesses-and-conditions/mental-health/mental-health-support/mental-health-services-at-nhs-24

For information on how to access professional mental health service, please consult your GP and/or email iweta.baran@csrec.org.uk

Funded by: