About this Event
Spoken Word & Music Writing Workshop
Turn your anger into art. Through the exploration of writing tools and prompts, this workshop asks us to turn inward and honour our emotions and feelings by releasing them, getting them out of our heads and bodies and onto the page, the stage, and other outlets of expression.
This 3-hour workshop lends us 2-hours for writing and reciting pieces, followed by refreshments and a discussion on the creative process, assessing and expressing anger.
This workshop is open to all Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour Communities :)
Accessibility Information
?All events in this series are offered at no cost. Each session will be accompanied by an Active Listener, offering support to navigate and process emotions as they emerge.
?Vegan-friendly refreshments will be provided.
?Face Masks will be available. Guests are requested to stay home if they are experiencing COVID symptoms.
♿ The workshop space is on the ground floor, and the Mackay entrance of the building has automatic doors. Seating can be arranged to accomodate for wheelchairs and other mobility aids. Let us know if you have any accessibility needs that can make your attendance a better experience!
About The Series
In a world where our hearts are heavy with the realities of concurrent genocides, ecological collapse, spiraling inflation, and the deepening divides of injustice, it's natural that our spirits are stirred with anger more than ever before.
At BMHC, we understand the depth of these emotions and the need for a space where they can be safely expressed and transformed. That's why we've crafted a special, free weekly workshop series, "Your Anger is Safe Here," designed with our broader community in mind. This initiative aims not only to educate and empower but also to offer a nurturing platform for members of Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour communities. Here, we can collectively explore and honor anger as a valid and potent emotion—a tool for protection, advocacy, and liberation.
In BIPOC communities, anger is often stigmatized and weaponized to dehumanize. "Your Anger is Safe Here" (YASH) aims to challenge and transform these narratives, creating a powerful intervention against the factors that negatively affect mental health within these communities. This program offers fresh coping strategies for daily stressors, guiding participants towards a journey of acceptance.
YASH is a free, accessible program designed to foster connections among leaders, practitioners, and community members in BIPOC spaces through genuine, vulnerable interactions. It provides a sanctuary that deconstructs the stigma around our responses to the lasting impacts of colonialism, mental health struggles, and promotes a path towards collective healing. In this space, your anger is not only acknowledged but embraced as a step towards empowerment and change.
About The Organizer
is an alliance of organizations and individuals focused on the mental health and well-being of the English-speaking Black community in Montreal. We help our community by developing and offering services that spark bottom-up social change.
Our mission is to use our collective experiences to empower members of Black communities by breaking mental health barriers and promoting healing through culturally competent education and innovative community care.
Though focused on the Black community, BMHC MTL works to be anti-oppressive in all ways and in solidarity with all marginalized communities. Learn more about us from our website: https://bmhcmtl.ca/
The People Making this Possible
From top to bottom: Samm Reid (she/her); Lea Lagier (she/they); Aishah Seivwright (she/her).
Facilitating the workshop, (she/her), believes creating art is a means of self care. Samm incorporates her passion for community, social justice and mental health awareness into her music and artistic projects. She is devoted to creating spaces for sharing, discovery, and using music and writing as a form of healing.Striving to instil confidence, self-pride and unity within her community, Samm encourages the freedom of creation, in hopes to awaken others to their power of expression and finding strength within.
Our compassionate active listener, (she/they), is a facilitator, student and researcher, originally from Martinique. Living in Tio'tià:ke (Montreal) for the past 5 years, she holds a B. Sc. in Psychology & Sociology and is currently pursuing a M. Sc. in Management of Social Innovation. Her thesis explores community-based approaches to Black people’s mental health in Montreal and Martinique. Léa is trained in peer support and anti-oppression with a trauma-informed and harm reduction approach, specifically catered to the needs and lived experiences of Black Queer people. As an emergent filmmaker and film photographer, they are also passionate about Black & Queer storytelling across the African and Caribbean diasporas, exploring the many narratives held within the sacred truth of our bodies.
Moderating discussion is (she/her), Aishah brings a deeply grounded perspective on equity, intersectionality and neurodiversity in her work to destigmatize mental health within the Black community as a project manager, community organizer, and Director of Operations at Black Mental Health Connections. She’s an imaginative and solution-oriented project coordinator, who believes supporting mental health through non-hierarchical, and anti-oppressive organizing is a critical step towards meaningful change towards a better future for us all.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
SHIFT Centre for Social Transformation, 1400 Boulevard De Maisonneuve Ouest, Montreal, Canada
CAD 0.00