Shuranjeet Singh Takhar, from Handsworth founder,\u00a0 said he did not approach his community about his issues because of a fear of being stigmatised and unfairly labelled but, with support from his housemates, he overcame his difficulties.<\/p>\n
Mental health can be difficult for anyone but in some communities, it is harder to gain help than others.<\/p>\n
An organisation has been set in response to ‘a need for a safe space for Punjabi men’ to talk openly about how mental health is affecting them.<\/p>\n
Tarak\u012a was founded in October 2017 by Shuranjeet Singh after his personal experience with mental ill-health as a student.<\/p>\n
Tarak\u012a is a Punjabi word signifying\u00a0the state of being progressive and looking to a better future. Tarak\u012a works alongside Punjabi communities to reshape approaches to mental health, individually & collectively<\/p>\n
The group run a forum called ‘Chai in the City’ every month where attendees can openly talk in a secure and non-judgemental space’.<\/p>\n
The free-to-attend events are ran by volunteers every month at the John Lewis Community Hub in Grand Central.<\/p>\n
Volunteer, Amardeep Singh from Oldbury leads the event alongside working at Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals.<\/p>\n
Amardeep told BirminghamLive how men are often discouraged from coming forward about their struggles.<\/p>\n
He said: “Suicide is the biggest cause of death in young men today. In many communities men are discouraged from acknowledging mental ill health.<\/p>\n
“Denial, social isolation and a lack of awareness of how to manage mental health issues all compound the problem for many.<\/p>\n
“I am involved with\u00a0Taraki\u00a0because I want to help bring about a change of approach to mental health within the Punjabi community by facilitating dialogue \u00a0among<\/p>\n
“We have held five Chai in the City forums thus far. The feedback from attendees has been positive. We hope to continue providing a forum for open discussion on a wide range of important subjects requested by attendees.”<\/p>\n
The events have been so well received by the community that they are talking about expanding to run more events for women and the transgender and non-binary communities.<\/p>\n
According to the Mental Health Foundation South Asian women seem to be an at-risk group for suicide or suicide attempts within their communities across England and Wales.<\/p>\n
The Foundation also note that people from ethnic minority backgrounds may be less likely to report experiencing mental health problems because of a stigma against it in their communities.<\/p>\n
Attendee, Narayan Kainth from Handsworth Wood has praised the initiative for it’s welcoming environment and positive impact on the community.<\/p>\n
“Before attending the forum I was reluctant because I thought that I would be judged, but when I attended I felt so welcomed, nobody was judging and I felt as though I wanted to go back next time.<\/p>\n
“Now I go every month as it opens your eyes to certain topics and how they truly impact people, it’s been amazing to learn with everyone.”<\/p>\n
Stay up to date on events from Taraki on their\u00a0Eventbrite page<\/a>.<\/p>\n Shuranjeet Singh Takhar, from Handsworth founder,\u00a0 said he did not approach his community about his issues because of a fear of being stigmatised and unfairly labelled but, with support from his housemates, he overcame his difficulties.<\/p>\n
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