Upcoming Events
Let's Talk:
Sex Positivity
For the month of February, we are focusing on sexual assault awareness and sex positivity. Join us on Feb 26 at 6pm on our Instagram live (@thewellnessproject.npo) for an educational evening about the stigmatisation and cultural barriers in sex. We will be having Laxna (@bharathalaxna) who is a well known dancer join us as she shares her own personal experience with slut shaming and other cultural barriers in her life as a dancer!
Past Events
Let's Talk:
Suicide
In September, we dedicated our month to suicide awareness and prevention. On September 25, we hosted an educational event to discuss common misconceptions regarding suicide, discuss grief, learn how to cope with suicidal thoughts and trauma, as well as how you can be there for your loved ones.
We collaborated with Varman's Smile Foundation, Jack.org and mental health advocate, Vinuja Shanthasoruban.
The Roots
of Violence
Intimate partner violence can occur in a multitude of ways to anyone and everyone. Over 1/4 of all victims of police-reported violent crime are victims of intimate partner violence. In the U.S., nearly 5.3 million incidents of IPV occur among women aged 18 and older with nearly 1300 deaths and 2 million injuries every year.
On October 3, 2020 we invited Cajaani Vekautham, co-founder and co-chair of ISEE Initiative for a collaborative event where guests could learn more about IPV, and what they can do to help put an end to partner violence. We spoke about the cultural barriers, stigma, and external factors that lead to intimate partner violence, red flags of a toxic relationship, ipv misconceptions, as well as how you can support a victim of ipv.
Stress Less
Yoga Class
With November being one of the most stressful months for students, we took this opportunity to host a beginner yoga session featuring Jordan Todosey.
Jordan Todosey is a Canadian actress known for her role as the first transgender character, Adam Torres, on Degrassi: The Next Generation and as Lizzie McDonald on Life with Derek.
Surviving the Winter Blues
For the month of November, we at The Wellness Project focused on Anxiety and Depression. On November 24, we collaborated with To Write Love on Her Arms and social media influencer, Cynthia Victor for an event based on anxiety and depression. We held a discussion on the different types of coping mechanisms, misconceptions, forms, and treatments for these two mental health conditions.
Breaking the Silence
The concept of "men's health" is relatively new and hardly touched upon, and societal attitudes have fostered the silence.
We wanted to be able to change that by having open and honest discussions regarding depression and suicidal tendencies specific to men,
gender norms and stereotypes, as well as coping mechanisms.
On December 6th, 2020, we hosted our event "Breaking the Silence in Men's Mental Health" in collaboration with the Men in Nursing interest group from the Registered Nurses'
Association of Ontario @minig_rnao.
Tis the Season for Giving
Tis the Season for Giving is an initiative meant to distribute care packages to the homeless around downtown Toronto, particularly in disadvantaged areas.
Our project went through five phases which consisted of gathering monetary donations and purchasing items from various stores for our care packages; assembling the packages into reusable bags while following COVID-19 protocols; distributing these packages to homeless individuals in downtown Toronto; using additional funds received from the Rising Youth grant and our GoFundMe to purchase high-demand items to donate to shelters; and dropping these items off to the shelters.
COVID-19 has made it a very difficult time for everyone worldwide, and many individuals are struggling to make ends meet. This project was meant to assist those who are less fortunate by giving them what we consider essential for surviving the harsh winter weather.
