To bring some joy into the air and create a welcoming environment to learn about mental wellness, Inspire Community Outreach is inviting everyone to join them for their Family Mental Wellness Festival.

Inspire Community Outreach is a social services charity that supports youth and families in Manitoba and beyond.

"We provide responsive support that empowers families to thrive," says Inspire Community Outreach Founder and CEO, Angela Taylor. "So, our mission is to provide inclusive evidence-based support that honours lived experience for families who live with neurological differences and mental health concerns.

Neurological differences include ADHD, autism and other mental health challenges.

Taylor notes that caring for the children is only the surface, but through their support, they offer love and care for the families as well. And one of the ways they do that is by hosting their annual Family Mental Wellness Festival.

This free-to-attend annual event celebrates the strength and resiliency of families, as Inspire Community Outreach knows that families go through their own woes and struggles.

This year, the Family Mental Wellness Festival takes place on Saturday, July 8 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Assiniboine Park, along with a dance party to follow from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

"We have resource tables and we've got charities that are coming to celebrate families with us with activities. In fact, you can actually purchase a passport and you go around to all the different tables and activities and you get stamps and at the end, you bring that passport back to us and we see everything you've done and give you a prize."

Children can choose prizes from fidget toys, books and other wonderous items.

There will also be free entertainment throughout the day, ranging from hoop dancers, talks from guest speakers, and a special appearance from the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, local ministers and Mayor Scott Gillingham.

"I think about this idea that kids don't suffer and that kids don't have mental health issues and that's just not true; every human has mental health and needs to learn how to care for their mental health just as though they need to care for their physical health. This idea of welcoming information and welcoming families, to be able to talk about this stuff without stigma, without concern, but just be able to share and receive, in a normalized way, it's really something special for our team."

One of the myths surrounding mental health among children is that they don't suffer from it. Taylor mentions how a few decades ago, it didn't seem plausible, but now in recent years, there's an understanding that anyone can suffer from mental illness. She says that it's the normalized conversation about it that happens in everyday conversations that have helped with this awareness.

Taylor says that toxic social media is one of the multiple sources of mental health issues for children if they get too wrapped up in it. 

She also says it's easier to find help and get the needed resources because parents are talking about mental health, and children and schools are talking about it too.

To learn more about Inspire Community Outreach and their annual Family Mental Wellness Festival, visit https://inspirecommunityoutreach.ca/.

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