A local non-profit is working to make sure Caledon residents know what mental health help exists in their own backyard.

The Caledon South Asian Association (CSAA) hosted a mental health awareness event at the Southfields Community Centre on April 26, timed to get ahead of Mental Health Awareness Month in May, the Caledon Citizen reported.

The event brought together several community organizations, including Caledon Community Services, the Caledon OPP, Soch Mental Health and the Malton Women Council. Attendees heard presentations from each group and were offered refreshments.

Hunar Kahlon, vice-chair of the CSAA, said the goal was to make residents aware of supports they may not know exist.

We're putting a spotlight on what resources are available for mental health,

"Sometimes people don't know these services are available to them," Kahlon told the Caledon Citizen.

Kahlon said newcomers to Canada often struggle with adjusting to a new language and culture, and lack the community connections that longer-term residents may take for granted. "We want to bridge those gaps," Kahlon said.

Women's council expands into Caledon

The event also marked a local milestone for one of the participating groups. The Malton Women Council, a non-profit dedicated to empowering women, recently held its first meeting in Caledon, drawing 45 women.

Executive Director Uzma Aziz Irfan said women at that first meeting shared ideas about the kinds of programs the organization could offer locally.

"We are offering many services like mental health services, programs for survivors of domestic abuse, one-on-one counselling, skill-building workshops, as well as the women's support group," Irfan told the Caledon Citizen.

"We will support as much as we can the residents of Caledon, this is our first step," she said.

Breaking down stigma

Soch Mental Health, co-founded by registered nurse Maneet Chahal-Gill, works to raise mental health awareness within the South Asian community using culture and language. The word "Soch," she explained, means "to think" or "a thought."

"We identified a huge gap in the South Asian community… the stigma was so large no one was really addressing (mental health)," Chahal-Gill said.

The organization runs community workshops, online anti-stigma campaigns and is active in ethno-cultural media. Chahal-Gill said she has already heard from many Caledon residents who, or whose loved ones, are struggling with their mental health.

"This is my first presentation here, but with the power of social media… we've already had a presence here," she said.

More to come this fall

CSAA Chair Dr. Vikas Puri said the organization is hitting its stride as a non-profit, and residents can expect to see more from the group at Caledon's Culture Days this September and October.

"We're going to be able to bring South Asian culture to people and educate them on some of the history, the culture, traditions, dance, music and so forth," Puri told the Caledon Citizen.