Mental Health Forum by Culture Chats

A mental health forum was organized by Culture Chats on Saturday
Sep 6, 2025, inviting members of the local south Asian community for an open dialogue
about mental health issues and solutions. It was held from 3 pm to 6 pm at the Surrey
City Hall. “We had invited professionals from the field of mental health as speakers to get the conversation started. There was considerable discussion about how to overcome
the stigma associated with mental health in the community and how to encourage
people to be forthcoming about anyone suffering from mental health in the family.” said Asmita Lawrence, organizer of the event.

One of the speakers shared her work with youth and adolescents and many parents in the audience had several questions regarding how to support students and younger
children as well as the symptoms of ADHD. Discussions were also held regarding the
role of good nutrition as well as good gut health too led by two nutritionists. In addition,
there were some therapists offering holistic solutions and therapies particularly
appealing to South Asians based on cultural and traditional preferences.

Culture Chats invited a few local organizations as community partners to improve outreach with the help of these organizations that are doing mental health related advocacy in the South Asian community. These included the ‘Dil Diya Gallan’ community society and the New North Wellness Foundation.

Culture Chats BC Association is a not-for-profit association promoting multicultural connections and community engagement. More information at http://www.culturechats.org