What Connects Us
The first week of May 2021 signifies Mental Health Week and this year has a theme focused on the recognition, acceptance and expression of our full range of emotions – the ones that feel good and the ones that we are often told to hide.
At Causeway, we want to be a space where both the people working for us and those who are accessing our supports feel safe, comfortable and seen when they bring forward their full selves. We want to empower people to get to know themselves from multiple perspectives. That includes working through emotions that can feel overwhelming like anger, sadness and frustration.
We want to provide resources, tools and strategies to help people deal with these more effectively, in a way that works for them because we all have our own unique ways of working through and expressing our feelings.
Over the last several months, we have been connecting with our team more meaningfully to build connection and intimacy. We incorporated one-on-one chats at our team meetings. We have been offering a series of workshops on self-care, confidence, burnout, mindfulness and breathing. We have formed a committee of staff volunteers to gain greater insights into new ways of engaging our team like virtual games nights, book clubs, workout classes, and a buddy system.
For Mental Health Week, we have brought our team together to share their strategies for maintaining their mental health and will be hosting a webinar with a great guest, Asante Haughton, who is a mental health advocate, storyteller and inspiration for rethinking our self-perception and re-writing our scripts.
During this week I want to remind everyone that what connects each and every one of us is our shared range of human emotions. It is okay to feel through them. When you need more support, when you feel isolated, when you feel like you need a friend or a mirror or a perspective shift – please reach out for support.
Hailey Hechtman, Executive Director of Causeway Work Centre