Janani Venkat
Janani Venkat is a youth leader and mental health advocate from Halifax, Nova Scotia. She has demonstrated her passionate for community service through volunteer and leadership positions in organizations like Jack.org and United for Literacy, where she works directly with young people. Through a funded #RisingYouth project, she designed and developed 500 free science activity kits for local children in partnership with Halifax Public Libraries. She enjoys initatives that support community wellbeing and foster a sense of belonging, and previously served terms as Vice President and Peer Mentorship Coordinator for Dalhousie University's Faculty of Science student society. Janani is currently a graduate student at the University of Toronto, where she studies Biological Chemistry. She's excited to continue making an impact.
The Wellness Nebula (working title)
This initiative aims to provide families in Halifax with culturally-inclusive, evidence-based mental health resources and activities, to help start and destigmatize conversations around wellbeing, help-seeking, and mental health. I seek to inspire children to learn about the importance of taking care of our minds alongside our bodies! The goal is to empower our community, with a specific focus on newcomer and immigrant families who may be less familiar with, or face additional barriers to, mental health spaces and supports.
About this Project
Communities Served
My project will involve and/or impact the following communities:
United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
When it comes to community impact projects, the UN has created 17 Sustainable Development Goals. These are the Sustainable Development Goals associated with my project.
How the project works
My project consists of take-home resources and activity kits that promote wellbeing, alongside in-person events featuring guest speakers. Partnerships with local organizations will help me reach the community.
Project Impact
My project has the potential to reach hundreds of families across the city, and could be expanded even further. Mental health can be an intimidating subject, but I seek to destigmatize the topic by emphasizing the importance of stress management, self-care, and reaching out for help when we need it. This project has the potential to spark important conversations and help work towards greater change.
Project Mission
My mission is to create an informative and educational activity kit for newcomer and immigrant families in Halifax, including information about wellness and mental health, resources, and activities that support wellbeing. Goals include reaching out to local associations and non-profits for partnerships, and reaching over 100 families with the kits.
Project Team
My teams consists of myself and partners at local associations, such as the library, and various cultural/immigrant associations.
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