VINCE

Migrant community activists raising voices of their communities through mental health workshops

Mental health is a crucial yet easily overlooked aspect of integration for migrants, who face unique challenges as they build new lives in Finland. To address this, Sateenkaari Koto organized a series of three workshops in October, bringing together migrant community activists from Turku to explore local mental health services and discuss mental health themes. These workshops aimed to raise awareness about organizations` resources and empower activists to support their communities. They also explored how mental health themes could play a meaningful role in the VINCE service design.

In October, Sateenkaari Koto organized workshops for migrant community activists in the Turku area. These individuals, spokespersons of their own communities, were brought together to visit three non-profit organizations: Varsinais-suomen Mielenterveysomaiset FinFami ry, Erityishuoltojärjestöjen liitto Ehjä ry, and MIELI Lounais-Suomen mielenterveys ry.

Workshop series to inform, engage and connect

The focus of these workshops was to explore mental health services and preventive mental health work, as well as discuss how these resources could aid in the integration of migrants in Turku. Each workshop had a clear aim: to provide activists with knowledge about local mental health services, engage them in meaningful conversations around mental health issues, and connect these activists with the organizations providing services. 

Preventive support for young minds

Our first visit took us to Ehjä ry, where we focused on services for teenagers and young adults. We heard about Ehjä’s preventive work, especially how they support young people before problems escalate. We also had a long discussion of mental health’s importance for different communities.

Supporting families with mental health challenges

On our second visit to FinFami ry, we learned about the HELM project, which supports family members and friends of people dealing with mental health challenges. On this meeting we built a group mindmap of topics that are important for migrants in different stages of their integration – starting from planning to move to Finland till after several years of life in Finland. The workshop turned to be a valuable space to discuss actual challenges immigrants face upon arriving to the new country as well as in their everyday life and their impact on the mental health of all those close to them. 

Crisis support and holistic well-being

Our final workshop was at the MIELI Kriisikeskus Turku (crisis center), where we learned about their services and the Serene project, which offers mental health support for refugees in Finland. The activists also got to participate in some of the center’s “Body and Mind” activities, which highlight the connection between physical and mental well-being.

 Key Themes and takeaways

Several important themes arose during our discussions:

  • Basic well-being as a foundation: The necessity of basic life needs—housing, food, employment, and financial stability—as the foundation for mental health. Without these, mental health care becomes a secondary concern for many.
  • Normalizing mental health conversations: The workshops emphasized the importance of normalizing conversations around mental health to dismantle stigma. 
  • Importance of culturally sensitive preventive mental health work: Each of these organizations are designing their services also for migrants which can be very important support in different stages of their integration. Early preventive mental health work can ease the integration process.

Mental health is part of a holistic approach to well-being.

These workshops were an important step toward raising awareness about mental health among migrant communities. By fostering collaboration between community activists and mental health organizations, we hope to raise awareness of the service needs of migrants in Turku and help the community activists connect with the service providers.

Enhancing VINCE application for better support

The insights gathered during these workshops provide valuable suggestions for the integration of mental health services into the VINCE application. By offering accessible mental health resources, we can better support migrants in their integration journey, ensuring that mental health is part of a holistic approach to well-being. VINCE also has the possibility to provide information on mental health themes that might be very difficult for some to discuss with their friends and family members. Having a platform where you can anonymously search information on sensitive topics can be helpful to start to find mental health services needed.

Text: Katja Ollikainen, Sateenkaari Koto, Turku (Finland)