The Vernon branch of the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) celebrated Mental Health Week with its annual Block Party in Polson Park Thursday, May 9.
Hundreds attended the event, which featured booths from local organizations for people to learn about mental health resources, as well as live music and a barbecue.
Julia Payson, executive director of CMHA Vernon, said the organization has been doing a block party at various locations for more than a decade. This was the third year the event has been held at the Polson Park band shell.
“This (event) is celebrating mental health, this is celebrating our community and the ways that we all come together to support each other,” Payson told The Morning Star. “It’s our way of giving back to the community.”
CMHA celebrates Mental Health Week (May 6 to 12) every year across the country, Payson said, adding this year the team is focusing on promoting acts of compassion.
“We use kindness and compassion to support each other and ourselves. So that’s our theme this year, and I think it’s perfect to see this event as a bit of an embodiment of that,” she said.
Payson said the Block Party and Mental Health Week is a chance to check in with other people.
“Look for that friend who you may not have heard from, look for that family member who’s been a bit quiet, and reach out, see how folks are doing, and just lend an ear or a hand.”
The North Okanagan Friendship Centre was at the event, as was Interior Health’s Early Psychosis Intervention (EPI) team.
Lee Crevier, with the EPI team, said they were hoping to provide an understanding about early intervention for someone who has experienced psychosis. The team works with individuals aged 19 to 30 who have had a psychotic episode.
“The earlier it’s caught, the better outcomes there are,” Crevier said.
CMHA Vernon is currently working on adding a foundry to Vernon. Foundries offer mental health care, substance use services, physical and sexual health care, youth and family peer support and social services for people ages 12 to 24.
“We’re continuing to work with Foundry BC to build out how the programs will run together, and really just looking at what it’s going to take to build the space out,” Payson said.
Payson said the Youth Integrated Services Hub has been up and running on Main Street and is “going really well.”
“We have programs for youth, and we have a lot of different agencies starting to do work out of there,” she said.
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