The last time the CMHA was able to get together for events was 2019, and those events included a walk to raise awareness. (File photo/paNOW Staff)

By Rob Mahon

Mental Health Week

Walks, art exhibits highlight CMHA’s mental health week

May 4, 2022 | 5:00 PM

May 2 to May 8 is Mental Health Week for branches of the Canadian Mental Health Association across the country, and that includes the one right here in Prince Albert.

“It’s an opportunity to celebrate what mental health is all about and make sure that people are aware that mental health affects everybody, some people more than others to the point of disease,” said Doug Kinar, executive director of the CMHA in Prince Albert. “It’s more of an awareness week.”

You may have seen members of the CMHA’s local branch out for a walk earlier today that had nothing to do with a desire to enjoy the nice weather. It was one part of their efforts to raise awareness this week.

“We had a walk around the central core of downtown,” Kinar said. “On Monday was the grand opening of our art display at the Prince Albert Art Gallery… That’ll be up there for a month, displaying all the artwork from the programs we have.”

This is the first time in two years the CMHA in Prince Albert has been able to celebrate this week with events, due to the pandemic. Though they’re glad to be back to hosting walks, that is as far as they’ll take it for the time being.

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“We’re ramping up slowly,” said Kinar. “Some of the things we’ve done in the past we haven’t been able to do for the past two years. So we decided to start slowly and have our opening for the art show, we had the walk today, and that’s as far as we’re going to take it this year for ourselves.”

COVID-19 did have one silver lining for the CMHA, however: it thrust a spotlight on mental health as a societal issue. The conversation around mental health became more widespread and people grew more comfortable addressing it in the public eye.

“It’s also made people aware of it on a more personal level,” said Kinar. “It’s not just something that happens somewhere else to somebody else. Enough people now have experienced mental health issues as a result of the pandemic to make it a little more mainstream and acceptable and not such a big stigma around it.”

Kinar added the widespread use of social media has made it easier for people to share their mental health struggles and raise awareness, but it’s also made us more attached to things that can damage mental health, including cyber bullying.

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rob.mahon@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @princealbertnow