The BMHCookout is BMHC’s annual mental health barbecue with free food, workshops, art activities and a curated panel of mental health advocates and practitioners.
The BMHCookout creates a safer space where necessary conversations meet great food and even better company. Through the expertise and knowledge of frontline workers, mental health practitioners, and advocates, our summer event aims to nurture a culture supportive of mental health. Join us in this genuine, and vulnerable setting to destigmatize mental health, while encouraging healing.
This event is to bring the Black community together as a form of solidarity and resistance. To empower our community with live discussions about mental health, creating a dialogue and holding space for the community to engage with sensitive subjects in a safer format. We’ll draw upon the expertise and knowledge of frontline workers, practitioners, and mental health advocates, using their lived experience to identify unfulfilled needs in mental health services.
Speaking with known community members focused on mental health demystifies it, and enhances solidarity amongst the community, highlighting how fundamental mental health management is to navigating life in general while building on collective understanding.
BMHCookout ‘22, August 27th, 2022
This year will feature two workshops, a panel discussion with Samanta Nyinawumuntu, Kay Thellot, and Khan Bouba-Delambaye; music by DJ J Nice of CJLO’s Limelight Radio; and food from Caribbean Food Factory and Midnight Kitchen Collective.
Eventbrite Link: https://bit.ly/C00K0UT
Panelists
Samanta Nyinawumuntu
Sam describes themselves as a Black queer being hailing from the mountains for Rwanda. They are a student, artist, facilitator, farmer, and community organizer whose mission is to facilitate and co-create intentional spaces that center a healing justice framework for people historically marginalized. Samanta creates programs for queer, and or Trans Black, Indigenous and Youth of Colour at Project 10, and they are the founder & director of the Black Healing Centre. You can follow their work on Facebook & Instagram at @blackhealingcentre.
Kay Thellot
Kay Thellot, a practicing Manbo Asongwe of Vodou Ayisyen, is currently pursuing a Master’s in Counselling Psychology. With a Bachelor in Psychology and a 15-year social intervention career, Kay has focused her work with youth and their families through an empowerment lens by, among other actions, creating and leading workshops in community, artistic and spiritual spaces. For more information, please visit prensipminokan.com. You can follow her work on Facebook & Instagram at @prensipminokan.
Khan Bouba-Delambaye
Khan has a background in psychology, has a Masters in Counselling Psychology from McGill university and is the owner of KB-D Counselling & Consulting. He provides both clinical support and consulting in the areas of mental health and EDIA to his clients. Khan also engages in content development and facilitation for workshops, discussions, trainings, and designing student outreach & leadership programs for academic institutions.You can follow his work on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn at @khanbouba.
Workshops
The BMHCookout is free of charge, but registration through Eventbrite is required to attend the in-person workshops as there is limited space. Registration links are below:
Write On! Workshop: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/393182689007
Boundaries Workshop: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/393297382057
Accessibility information
The event will take place at the Desta Youth Network Center, (1950 Rue Saint-Antoine Ouest). Within the venue, 1 gender-neutral bathroom can be accessed, but the bathroom is not wheelchair accessible. There is one step leading into the building.
The closest metro station is George-Vanier, which is a 2-minute walk from the community centre.
Even though we can not guarantee a scent-free space due to other individuals and groups in the building, we ask people attending our events to not wear strongly scented products (perfume, cologne, hair products, lotions, etc).
There will be vegan meals available.
The panel discussion will also be available through Zoom here.
For highlights from BMHCookout ‘21, click here.
Black Mental Health Connections 