Counselling All Nations [CANs] launches report: “Hearing Our Needs” Exploring the emotional wellbeing and mental health needs of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (B.A.M.E.) communities across Northern Ireland.
Counselling All Nations [CANs] launches report: “Hearing Our Needs” Exploring the emotional wellbeing and mental health needs of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (B.A.M.E.) communities across Northern Ireland.
On 15 March 2023 Counselling All Nations [CANs] launched groundbreaking joint report with CANS and Queen’s University Belfast exploring the mental health and emotional wellbeing needs of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities in Northern Ireland. Counselling All Nations Services (CANS), is a registered charity set up to respond and provide culturally sensitive counselling (in English or a common minority ethnic language) to adult people living and working in Northern Ireland whose first language is not English.
The report was launched at Riddel Hall, Queen’s University Belfast guest speakers included Professor Stuart Elborn – Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Queen’s University Belfast. Dame Fionnuala Jay-0’Boyle, DBE DStJ LLD (Hon QUB) HM Lord Lieutenant of The Co. Borough of Belfast. Professor Siobhan O’Neill – Mental Health Champion for Northern Ireland.
Hearing Our Needs is a shared research project initiated in 2019 as a partnership between Queens University Belfast and Counselling All Nations Services (CANS) to further understand the mental health and emotional well-being needs of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities in Northern Ireland. Comprising of seven workshops held in Dungannon, Derry-Londonderry, Coleraine, Belfast, Bangor, Enniskillen, and Newry – the research team invited participants from a range of backgrounds including emergency services, counsellors, community leaders, academics, union representatives, politicians and others to join the conversation.
The workshops were structured by three key questions:
- “Are we getting [BAME Mental Health Needs] right?”
- “How are we getting [BAME mental health needs] right?”
- “How can we move forward together?”
The report can be found on ACSONI’s on the links below.
https://www.acsoni.org/app/uploads/2023/03/CANS-Hearing-Our-Needs-Project-16-Pager-Report.pdf
https://www.acsoni.org/app/uploads/2023/03/CANS-Hearing-Our-Needs-Project-Report.pdf
