On 30 January we reached another milestone in our Mental Justice work. A workshop was carried out in collaboration with the Kulgaon Badlapur Municipal Corporation – our first collaboration. We have started working intensively in Badlapur since last year, and this was part of our stakeholder sensitization in this area. Around 150 participants from Solid Waste Management Department (sanitation workers) and Health Department (ASHA workers) of different backgrounds participated.
Various interactive activities were used to discuss aspects of Mental Justice, going beyond clinical or technical understanding of Mental Health – which takes some time to understand. We received much positive response from the participants, as they shared their mental health stories. The session ended with a positive appeal for maintaining mental justice and with a hope that tomorrow it will be these participants leading mental justice campaigns in their area. Most importantly, they were explained that they were, in deed stakeholders, upholders and implementers of mental justice.