Thunder Bay, ON – This week (May 1-7, 2023), the Ontario Native Women’s Association (ONWA) is raising support and awareness about mental health in support of the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) Mental Health Week.
“Each year 1 in 5 Canadians experience a mental illness or mental health issue. Universal mental health care is important and needed now!” – Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA)
Mental Health is a person’s emotional, psychological, and social well-being. Everyone has mental health, and everyone will experience periods of positive and negative mental health throughout their lives. ONWA acknowledges how mental health continues to impact the lives of Indigenous women, girls, and two-spirit people.
“The restoration and maintenance of Indigenous women’s mental wellbeing is integral to the wellbeing of themselves, their families and community. Community mental wellbeing is achieved when women can carry out their traditional ways of knowing and being, whereby they are able to care for their Kin and Mother Earth using ancestral healing methods. ONWA celebrates and supports all Indigenous women to revitalize and reclaim their traditional matriarchal roles during Mental Health week.” – Tina Bobinski, ONWA Director Community Development
The Medicine Wheel teaches us that our wellbeing is best when the four dimensions/directions of self - (body, mind, heart, and spirit) are healthy and in balance. ONWA is committed to the holistic wellness of Indigenous women, families, and communities. ONWA connects Indigenous women with cultural and traditional practices that foster healthy emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual wellbeing. When women are healthy, they raise healthy children, which builds healthy communities.
Throughout the week, ONWA is supporting good mental health with a series of daily virtual mental health affirmations and a virtual “Lunch and Learn” presentation on Indigenous Mental Health Practices (12:00-1:00 PM EST, Thursday May 4, 2023). Follow ONWA on social media to take part in the virtual affirmations. Register now at https://bit.ly/3V8ZIIg to take part in Thursday’s virtual “Lunch and Learn”.
For more information and media inquiries, contact:
Andre Morriseau, Communications Manager
Ontario Native Women’s Association (ONWA)
Email: amorriseau@onwa.ca
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