'Everyone deserves good care': Festival celebrates mental health wellness

An event celebrating mental health wellness brought families to Assiniboine park Saturday to learn more about the supports available to them in Manitoba.

The Family Mental Wellness Festival was looking to raise awareness about mental health issues as well as neurological differences like autism and ADHD. The event brought together various community organizations such as the Cerebral Palsy Association of Manitoba, Safe Families for Children, and the Rainbow Resource Centre, among many others.

"They all have different resources and activities for families to do, learn about their services, learn about the free supports that they offer across Manitoba," said Angela Taylor, CEO of Inspire Community Outreach.

The festival ran all day Saturday. Activities included hoop dancing, Zumba, and yoga, as well as guest speakers talking about the importance of mental health care.

Event coordinator Jolene Osztian said it was a lot of work putting the festival together. "It was honestly a project that we worked on around the clock," she said. "Literally going until last night, right before the festival, getting everything in place."

She said it's been a great experience. "It has been so amazing to connect with all these partners and provide these services to families," Osztian said.

Taylor said the festival is about making mental health supports more accessible to Manitobans.

"It is really challenging to be a family that includes children with mental health conditions or disabilities," she said. "It's hard for even myself to navigate the system."

She said the demand for mental health services has never been higher. "COVID was hard on families, and I think were still seeing the effects of that now," said Taylor.

Taylor believes most Manitoba families are not aware of all the supports available to them, and encourages them to reach out for help.

"Even if they’ve tried to get support in the past," she said. "Maybe those supports weren’t the best fit for them, but keep trying because everyone deserves good care. I promise you it's out there."

The festival wrapped up Saturday evening with live music and performances.