Embedded Files
"We noticed a need in the community...and worked to the best of our abilities to meet it."
Member Reflection:
The more we, our community, emerged from lockdown, the more I noticed that every one changed. Whether they changed appearance or in youth, there is no doubt that they changed mentally too.
And that is what our Mindful Gardeners group is about: We noticed a need in the community...and worked to the best of our abilities to meet it.
The 2020 GirlsBuild Summit was what got the ball rolling. The Summit motivated us students to solve a problem in our community. We noticed the mental health stigma and lack of awareness in our community. Ms. Mariano brought it to our attention. "Should our mission be on mental health?"
At first, I didn't realize the expanse of mental health stigma and misinformation. I believed it was only a problem within our East LA Community.
But with further involvement, I realized that many people seemed to have the same, wrong beliefs on mental health. Most importantly:
"Many people seemd to believe that mental health was somewhat trivial."
Through the scope of our work, it seemed that people passing by our Farmers' Market booth, or people in health fairs, couldn't grasp the fact that mental health should be as important as physical health. We care about our appearance, physically, but not about what is within us. Our struggles and fears.
This past year, we have been incredibly active with collaborations and outreach. We hope that we can find more audiences, recruit more members, and ignite additional interest in mental health.
These two years with the Mindful Gardeners have been a rewarding experience. I hope I can share many more moments with the Mindful Gardeners.
Nathalie N.
Page updated
Report abuse