Prevention and Promotion
Hong Fook Mental Health Association is community based, multi-services, multicultural, multilingual organizations with a community development approach. We are committed to working with our communities at the grass roots level. Our programs and services vary among the different populations to reflect the unique migration history and pattern of the six different communities in the Greater Toronto Area: Cambodian, Chinese (from Hong Kong, Mainland, & Taiwan), Korean and Vietnamese.
Our Mental Health Promotion Workers work with community groups and service providers in developing or enhancing mental health programs that deliver education and skill building as related to the social determinants, which have impacts on health of individuals and the community. The workers facilitates the development and implementation of appropriate strategies particular to each population to assess the community needs and create public awareness around culturally specific mental health issues
The overall goal of the Prevention and Promotion Service is to empower individuals with knowledge of mental health and resources so that they can play a more active role when it comes to their mental health. As well, the program aims to build community capacity by providing accurate information to reduce stigma, by facilitating equal access to mental health services, and encouraging community participation.
The major activities of the Prevention and Promotion Service include:
- Community Capacity Building
through recruitment and development of volunteers;
involvement of community individuals in the
planning and development of program activities
by participating on the Community Advisory Committee;
linkage with ethno-specific community agencies
to increase collaboration and coordination;
- Groups to promote personal growth,
to enhance understanding of mental health/ mental
illness, to foster mutual support and to explore
strategies in maintaining mental well-being;
- Educational Activities on
holistic health and mental illness to increase
participants’ understanding in these areas,
to enhance their skills in managing their emotions
and problem solving, to increase their knowledge
regarding family issues, parenting, identity
and inter-generational relationships;
- Educational Materials on
holistic health, mental well-being and mental
illness are developed and produced in a linguistic
and culturally appropriate format to provide
easier access to accurate information for the
target communities;
- Workshops on a variety of
methods to manage stress, to relax and to increase
one’s understanding in taking care of one’s
physical, mental and spiritual well-being;
- Mass Promotional Activities
with an aim to draw the public’s attention to
mental health and their understanding of mental
illness;
- Joint Outdoor Activities
for consumers, family members and the public
to facilitate integration and to reduce isolation;
- Media Campaign with ongoing
media strategies to heighten the profile of
mental health in the broader life context;
- Special Projects to address
emerging community needs and to develop strategies
to meet such needs.
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Hong Fook Mental Health Association has fostered, built and maintained strong partnerships and collaborative relationships with other community-based organizations to deliver programs and services to our target communities in the Greater Toronto Area. We work closely with a number of organizations that provide free and low-cost services, such as legal, immigration, health, social and educational services, to support and assist the community and its residents. We pool our resources, using our various specialties, to run joint programs to increase community participation and draw out the strengths of the community for the betterment of the community as a whole. We also use the collaboration strategies to facilitate and build community capacity.
Resource Centre
The Resource Centre was established to provide culturally competent information related to the topics of mental well-being and mental illness for the purposes of consultation with service providers as well as an information library for the interested public.
The Resource Centre has the following:
- Resource Library with audio, video and reading information materials on mental illness and mental health related issues on the Asian communities;
- Consultation media for service providers regarding cultural appropriate practices with Asian communities and consumers;
- Workshop, training and conference documents on cultural competent practices in the mental health field;
- Production of education materials related to mental health and mental illness;
- Research publications;
- Social groups and life skills training information for people with mental illness.
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