Thornliffe Park and flemgindon Park Cohort Program

 

Image Copyright The Canadian Press/Frank Gunn

Thorncliffe Park and Flemingdon Park are one of the many areas in Toronto that celebrate a cast diversity of cultures and languages. However, the neighbourhoods are not without its challenges. They are both among the densest communities in Canada, with little socioeconomic opportunities.

The physical and psychosocial consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic have also exacerbated pre-existing disparities in access to mental health care, support, and resources. Thorncliffe Park and Flemingdon Park are considered high-risk communities and the lack of diverse and inclusive mental health services acts as an additional barrier to the already limited support available for parents and youth.

The Program

Taskeen Wellness launched its programming in June 2022 in collaboration with champions from local agencies and grassroots community members. We have launched three cohorts to date, of 14 parent and youth participants, who have completed the wellness advocate program.

In our virtual workshops,  ranging over the course of three months, wellness advocates have had the opportunity to reflect on their current mental health and develop strategies for maintaining their communities health and well-being. They are now continuously being supported through regular coaching.

Key Insights

 

  • In our coaching sessions, we identified a need for more tailored and culturally responsive trauma resources and social support for victims of domestic violence. 
  • Wellness advocates expressed observing newcomers and refugees struggle to adapt, especially youth.  
  • Wellness advocates report a high incidence of caregiver burnout.
  • More resources and providers are needed to address caregiver burnout
  • Youth expressed the need for tools on how to express issues with mental health within different relationship dynamics (parent, spouse, friend, etc.).
  • Youth focused on how to support individuals who do not initially want to receive treatment for mental health disorders.
  • We identified the need to include information on eating disorders among youth.

Testimonials

“I decided to join Taskeen Wellness after seeing lots of families struggling with mental health issues, especially after COVID and particularly in youth who were newcomers. I felt a serious lack of resources and understanding related to mental health in the community. I needed a specific set of tools to deal with some very serious issues faced when working in the community. After participating, I was able to establish a basic understanding of various mental health issues. I was able to achieve a level of confidence to understand and then guide folks towards resources and expert help. I gained some great information and tools for dealing with various mental health issues and felt supported by experts eager to deal with the issues in a culturally appropriate way. I especially enjoyed the module design, case studies and practical methods of approach. I would absolutely recommend this program to people as I feel it is a much needed program in the community.” – M.E

“I joined Taskeen Wellness because many of our friends and family members are going through mental illnesses. Some of them are not identified yet so I wanted to help them. Before joining Taskeen Wellness, I didn’t have the proper knowledge about mental illnesses. After attending the workshops and coaching sessions, I feel I now have the proper knowledge to help people and feel better equipped to deal with challenges in the the community. I liked having direct interaction with mental health physicians. I would definitely recommend this program to other people because this program is beneficial for everyone. Everybody should be aware of their own mental illnesses and others.” -A.S

Want to join the next cohort in Thorncliffe Park or Flemingdon Park?

 

 

New cohorts are scheduled based on our capacity to support the community.

If you are interested in participating in this program, please register below and you will be notified when the next cohort is scheduled.

You must be a resident of Thorncliffe Park or Flemingdon Park, or you must work for agencies that support these communities.

Join the waiting list