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Free Richmond film event for Mental Illness Awareness Week

An upcoming event wants to help Richmondites learn how to improve their mental health on Oct. 8.
Pathways Clubhouse
Pascale Jendral (left), Pathways Clubhouse program staff, and a practicum student (right) sitting at a Pathways table display at Richmond Public Library during their public education duties. Photo submitted

An upcoming event wants to help Richmondites learn how to improve their mental health on Oct. 8.

“Rewiring Your Brain” is a free all-age film event which will highlight the idea of exercising our brains through a selection of 10- to 15-minute videos with brief panel discussions in between.

The event, which takes place during mental illness awareness week, will also talk about how activities like meditation, practicing gratefulness, physical activity and random acts of kindness can help with mental wellness.

“We have some really fabulous services in Richmond and this is a beautiful way to highlight and introduce them to the community as well as hear from experts,” said Barbara Fee, the public education program manager at Pathways Clubhouse.

“We want people to talk about mental health, we want them to talk about it more often, freely and comfortably and encourage people to learn about it so we can support ourselves, parent, siblings or child down the road; the reality is it’s quite prevalent.”

Aliez Kay-Kuzik from the Minoru Place Activity Centre, Dr. Gabriela Ionita, a psychologist and Dr. Kenneth Heng, a psychiatrist, will be present to answer any questions during the panel discussions that the public may have.

Doors to the event will open 6:30 p.m. at Richmond Hospital’s Ralph Fisher Auditorium located at 7000 Westminster Highway.

Visitors can access to free-limited parking on the gravel lot from Westminster Highway.

Pathways Clubhouse organized this event in collaboration with Richmond Mental Health and Substance Use Partner & Family Advisory Committee, Richmond Mental Health Consumer and Friends Society, and VCH Community Engagement.