Vik Bains (right), Branch Manager of TD Canada Trust in Rutland, presents a $40,000 TD donation to Amarjit Singh Lalli (left), President of The Okanagan Sikh Temple and Cultural Society, to help start a new mental health and addictions recovery support initiative for the South Asian community in Kelowna and surrounding region. (CNW Group/TD Bank Group)
By Asia Samachar | Canada |
A Canadian gurdwara is already working on a new mental health and addictions recovery support program for South Asian people living in the Okanagan. The effort has just been boosted by a C$40,000 donation from TD Bank Group.
The Okanagan Sikh Temple and Cultural Society, the oganisation behind the initiaitve, now plans to recruit multiple experienced counsellors who can speak Punjabi and English to lead the drop-in sessions.
“Our community is not immune to the societal issues that many British Columbians are facing, including the opioid crisis and mental health challenges,” said the society president Amarjit Singh Lalli. “We want South Asian people who may be struggling to be able to seek help and access available resources that are both language-specific and culturally safe.”
The program will provide drop-in sessions for people who identify as South Asian and are seeking help fighting mental health challenges associated with addiction. The initiative comes at a critical time following a Fraser Health study that suggested South Asian people “may be more likely to die from an overdose than non-South Asian people.” The same report found that there were low engagement rates with substance use treatment among South Asian men, according to a statement.
“There has certainly been a history of stigma around substance abuse, however, the conversation within the South Asian community is changing,” said Vik Bains who is the branch manager of TD in Rutland. “Whether in our branch or out in the community, I am talking to people who are increasingly opening up about their own personal struggles or are expressing concern over loved ones.”
The funding will also go toward helping to improve communication between parents and children around drug use and gang-culture, the statement added.
“This funding will enable us to reach as many community members as possible during such a challenging time for everyone,” Lalli said. “And, so long as the need exists, we are committed to keeping this conversation going while continuing to extend a compassionate hand.”
The Okanagan Sikh Temple and Cultural Society was incorporated in November of 1979 with 34 Sikh families in the area. The first Sikh temple in Kelowna opened in 1982, and to meet the needs of the city’s growing Sikh population, a new facility was built and opened in 2008.
RELATED STORY:
Mental health lessons from Sikhs in Malaysia (Asia Samachar, 24 Feb 2021)
ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs / Punjabis in Southeast Asia and beyond.Facebook | WhatsApp +6017-335-1399 | Email: editor@asiasamachar.com | Twitter | Instagram | Obituary announcements, click here
