Theme or Focus: Mental Health
What We Did
During a community event that our faith community had been supporting, we invited people to talk about what they would bring to or what they would like to see on the table of a hypothetical "Mental Heath Potluck." After participating, visitors were encouraged to give our "Dopamine Machine" a whirl. The "Dopamine Machine" (a bingo calling system) that offered participants a daily dose of dopamine (an Easter Egg that had something inside to make you smile, encourage you, or add a little sweetness to your day). We have since upgraded to something that works a bit more like a homemade arcade machine. The small stickers, candies, and positive-mindset messages were well received. For the next event, I'm hoping to do something similar with a preventative mental health/addictions theme.
Why We Did It
Addictions and poor mental health are very common in Nova Scotia. A good portion of our Faith Community's purpose is to help others learn to love themselves. We recognize the urgent state of our mental health system in Nova Scotia, and recognize a niche space for faith communities to fill in preventive programming. By asking people to participate in a "Mental Health Potluck," we are hoping that we will get offers to lead programming as well as suggested programs that people would attend.
