Migrants don’t know where to go for wellbeing support
29/11/24
A recent event run by Headlight highlighted a stark lack of knowledge amongst local migrant communities regarding what support services are available locally and nationally to support people struggling with their wellbeing.
Headlight Trust is a Queenstown based organisation working with migrants and other priority groups to increase people’s mental health knowledge and skills, so that they can support their wellbeing and know how to support their family, whānau and friends who are struggling with mental health challenges.
The team have developed a digital programme to support migrant communities to learn about mental wellbeing. The digital programme enables educational information to be delivered to small groups in-person by cultural leaders and facilitators, in their native language and with translated resources.
A recent workshop run by the team found that 66% of participants did not know where to go to get help if they were struggling with their wellbeing.
This finding was echoed in the discussions with participants, with many stating a lack of knowledge about where to go and how to access local health and support services.
“Many migrants are unaware of the free assistance available to them,” says Anna Wang, Project Lead for Headlight. “Even when they know about certain organisations, language barriers often prevent them from expressing their feelings effectively in English.
Additionally, there are very few interpreters who are capable or suitable for these sensitive situations. Providing free well-being education in their native languages and creating a safe space for open conversations can be a powerful form of early intervention,” says Anna.
The workshop also identified a strong desire amongst the local Chinese community for opportunities to come together more regularly and learn about how to support their successful settlement and connect with others in their community.
The Headlight team is working with the Chinese and other migrant communities in coming months to continue to trial the digital workshop to see how it can support increased knowledge and skills regarding supporting wellbeing amongst migrant communities.
The project is being made possible thanks to funding from Lotteries Community Grant, Community Trust South, FoodStuffs Southland and community donations. For further information contact Headlight team on info@headlight.org.nz
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