Katrina
Manila, Philippines
WHAT IS YOUR SPECIFIC AREA OF INTEREST IN YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH ADVOCACY?
Community and Grassroots Advocacy
WHY IS YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH ADVOCACY IMPORTANT TO YOU?
To me, youth mental health advocacy underscores the importance of youth agency geared towards becoming champions of mental health awareness. By cultivating a more empathic culture and safer spaces – both offline and online, the youth can create inter-generational conversations on mental health, which will help destigmatize mental health within communities.
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE MENTAL HEALTH IN YOUR COMMUNITY?
Amid the pandemic, mental health became less stigmatized and creating inter-generational conversations on mental health helped create a more empathic culture, especially in the digital space. The communities we serve become enablers and co-champions of creating these safer spaces online. But there’s still a lot of work to be done.
PROPOSED FELLOWSHIP PROJECT
Project: ‘Project Hinabi: Weaving Conversations on Mental Health’
Through the Better Today platform, the program embarks on a series of collaborations, content creation, and community conversations on mental health and wellness.
In partnership with the Local Government Unit (LGU) of General Santos City, Better Today: “Project Hinabi” aims to address the need for a community-based mental health program. In General Santos City, there is a total of 10,000 reported mental health cases with only 30% of which are being addressed by the LGU’s City Health Office. Through “Project Hinabi”, it will aim to address the remaining 70% within that treatment gap by mobilizing the youth to become first aid volunteers.
As a community-based mental health program, Better Today works with the LGUs in the Philippines. In particular, the project is in partnership with the General Santos (GenSan) City, which has adapted our Better Today Program and have since resulted to the community-based mental health program called “Project Hinabi”. The word hinabi, in Filipino can mean two things: in the local dialect (Bisaya), it means “Conversation” and in Filipino, it means “Woven”. Thus, combined, “Project Hinabi” is woven efforts of the community to create safe spaces and conversations on mental health awareness where it mobilizes youth volunteers, called “Wellness Aiders” from five pilot barangays in GenSan to provide practical care and support to individuals who are experiencing distress (without diagnosing or providing professional counselling) and give appropriate referrals to the provincial and city health offices.