My first Publication Mojatu Nottingham Magazine M030 | Page 24

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24 Arts & Culture
MOJATU BERKSHIRE TEAM RECOGNISED
Victor Koroma and Cecily Mwaniki Win Awards
Edited by Angela Wathoni
Victor Koroma and Cecily Mwaniki were joint
winners for their work with ACRE, particularly
around the issue of FGM, and for their relentless
campaigning for equality and fairness.
They have been working on reducing the stigma when
talking about mental health. With this issue at hand
they have come up with ways that people can get an
understanding of this.
1. “Mental Illness Awareness means recognizing that
mental illness is as real as any physical llness.”
2. “It means recognizing that mental illness affects not
only the individual, but everyone from friends and
families to entire communities, no matter how big or
small.”
3. “It means educating people on what mental illness
means, how to prevent it, and to remove the stigma
about it.’’
4. “To be sensitive and knowledgeable about brain
diseases. To advocate for mental health by being
against stigma and prejudice.”
5. “Mental illness awareness means bringing down the
walls of stigma by sharing our experiences, stories,
and truths. It means educating others on what mental
illness REALLY is and helping those with illnesses know
they are not alone.”
6. “Mental health awareness means that we’re not only
acknowledging that mental health is important, but
we’re talking about it, putting it out there so that people
who feel too much can get the help they need too.”
7. “Awareness is the acceptance and understanding of
something, in part or whole. It means learning about
mental illness and being familiar with the vernacular of
the movement. It means accepting the medical nature
of it and not asking that people ‘get over it,’ when the
solution is much more complex. At its finest, awareness
also involves advocacy.”
With Cecily and Victor being at the forefront in
encouraging communities to carry on the ‘mental
hygiene’ work started all those years ago in many
different ways and as they have heard the responses
from the volunteers of diverse communities, it is
important that they are well supported to better
promote the mental hygiene of our communities.