On December 25th ’21, we lost one of our beloved hosts of this podcast, as Candy Palmater passed away. We’ve come together one more time with hosts Jamar McNeil and Anne-Marie Mediwake as they, along with the producers of this show, share some of their fondest memories of Candy.

We will miss Candy’s powerful insights, funny stories and unique perspectives on so many important issues but especially on matters affecting Canada’s Indigenous communities. We are so incredibly honoured to have had her as part of this podcast.

On December 25th &rsquo;21, we lost one of our beloved hosts of this podcast, as Candy Palmater passed away. We&rsquo;ve come together one more time with hosts Jamar McNeil and Anne-Marie Mediwake as they, along with the producers of this show, share some of their fondest memories of Candy.
We will miss Candy&rsquo;s powerful insights, funny stories and unique perspectives on so many important issues but especially on matters affecting Canada&rsquo;s Indigenous communities. We are so incredibly honoured to have had her as part of this podcast.

This podcast highlights the experiences of Black, Indigenous and People of Colour (BIPOC) communities and their impact on mental health. Launched by the Bell Let’s Talk Diversity Fund, each episode features conversations with guests from different ethnocultural communities in Canada as they share personal stories, the unique barriers they navigate on their wellness journey and the importance of finding culturally affirmative mental health care. So if you want to understand the mental health reality of BIPOC community members, whether you have experienced mental illness or not, there will be something to relate to in each episode.

Hosted by IHeartRadio’s CHUM 104.5 Morning Show Co-Host Jamar McNeil, Your Morning’s Anne-Marie Mediwake and comedian and broadcaster Candy Palmater, each episode will be a safe space to unpack sensitive issues like intergenerational trauma and residential schools, anti-Black racism, first vs second-generation immigrant struggles, men’s mental health among many others. They also explore the similarities and differences between experiences lived by the various BIPOC communities, making such conversations a more inclusive space. The podcast also brings in BIPOC mental health professionals so we better understand the impact of these intersecting life experiences on mental health and the support available. "From Where We Stand: Conversations on race and mental health" is an Original Bell Let’s Talk podcast produced by iHeartRadio.

This podcast highlights the experiences of Black, Indigenous and People of Colour (BIPOC) communities and their impact on mental health. Launched by the Bell Let&rsquo;s Talk Diversity Fund, each episode features conversations with guests from different ethnocultural communities in Canada as they share personal stories, the unique barriers they navigate on their wellness journey and the importance of finding culturally affirmative mental health care. So if you want to understand the mental health reality of BIPOC community members, whether you have experienced mental illness or not, there will be something to relate to in each episode.
Hosted by IHeartRadio&rsquo;s CHUM 104.5 Morning Show Co-Host Jamar McNeil, Your Morning&rsquo;s Anne-Marie Mediwake and comedian and broadcaster Candy Palmater, each episode will be a safe space to unpack sensitive issues like intergenerational trauma and residential schools, anti-Black racism, first vs second-generation immigrant struggles, men&rsquo;s mental health among many others. They also explore the similarities and differences between experiences lived by the various BIPOC communities, making such conversations a more inclusive space. The podcast also brings in BIPOC mental health professionals so we better understand the impact of these intersecting life experiences on mental health and the support available. "From Where We Stand: Conversations on race and mental health" is an Original Bell Let&rsquo;s Talk podcast produced by iHeartRadio.

From Where We Stand: Conversations on race and mental health

A Tribute to Candy Palmater

In our final episode, we are shining the spotlight on the mental health of the BIPOC LGBTQ+ community. According to Rainbow Health Ontario, LGBTQ2S+ people experience stigma and discrimination, and this stigma can have a variety of negative consequences throughout the life span. Large Canadian studies indicate that LGBTQ2S+ people are more likely than heterosexuals to report unmet mental health needs and were more likely to consult mental health practitioners. To help us better understand some of the community’s experiences, we have three guests who share their journey and insights on this episode. Prabhjot Seehra grew up in a traditional South-Asian family and had to navigate his sexual identity as a gay man within traditional family structures, Preity Kumar who also grew up in a traditional Indo-Guyanese community shares the impact of her coming out as a queer woman on some of the most important relationships in her life and 20-year old Levi Nahirney, who knows what its like to navigate many identities after being adopted from Vietnam along with his twin sister and then coming out to his family as transgender when he was just 13. We also have queer-identified psychotherapist, Tenniel Brown, who talks about the mental health impacts of experiencing multiple forms of marginalization at a given time and what we need to do to be better allies to the community.

 

Here are the various conversations:

 

@5:39 - Prabhjot Seehra

 

28:55 - Preity Kumar

 

@55: 08 - Levi Nahirney

 

@1:13:48 – Psychotherapist Tenniel Brown

 

 

This episode contains discussion on mental health issues. Listener discretion is advised. If you or someone you know is in crisis please go to your local hospital or call 911 immediately. For information about services in your area, please visit www.cmha.ca. To reach the Canada Suicide Prevention Service, call 1.833.456.4566 or 1.866.APPELLE in Québec (1.866.277.3553).

 

 

Other resources:

 

Browns Consulting

 

Psychology Today

 

Black Therapist List

 

Ontario College of Social Workers

 

Ontario Association of Social Workers

 

Bell Let’s Talk

In our final episode, we are shining the spotlight on the mental health of the BIPOC LGBTQ+ community. According to Rainbow Health Ontario, LGBTQ2S+ people experience stigma and discrimination, and this stigma can have a variety of negative consequences throughout the life span. Large Canadian studies indicate that LGBTQ2S+ people are more likely than heterosexuals to report unmet mental health needs and were more likely to consult mental health practitioners. To help us better understand some of the community&rsquo;s experiences, we have three guests who share their journey and insights on this episode. Prabhjot Seehra grew up in a traditional South-Asian family and had to navigate his sexual identity as a gay man within traditional family structures, Preity Kumar who also grew up in a traditional Indo-Guyanese community shares the impact of her coming out as a queer woman on some of the most important relationships in her life and 20-year old Levi Nahirney, who knows what its like to navigate many identities after being adopted from Vietnam along with his twin sister and then coming out to his family as transgender when he was just 13. We also have queer-identified psychotherapist, Tenniel Brown, who talks about the mental health impacts of experiencing multiple forms of marginalization at a given time and what we need to do to be better allies to the community.
&nbsp;
Here are the various conversations:
&nbsp;
@5:39 - Prabhjot Seehra
&nbsp;
28:55 - Preity Kumar
&nbsp;
@55: 08 - Levi Nahirney
&nbsp;
@1:13:48 &ndash; Psychotherapist Tenniel Brown
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
This episode contains discussion on mental health issues. Listener discretion is advised. If you or someone you know is in crisis please go to your local hospital or call 911 immediately. For information about services in your area, please visit www.cmha.ca. To reach the Canada Suicide Prevention Service, call 1.833.456.4566 or 1.866.APPELLE in Qu&eacute;bec (1.866.277.3553).
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Other resources:
&nbsp;
<a href="http://www.brownsconsulting.ca/">Browns Consulting</a>
&nbsp;
<a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/therapists">Psychology Today</a>
&nbsp;
<a href="https://www.blacktherapistlist.com/">Black Therapist List</a>
&nbsp;
<a href="https://www.ocswssw.org/">Ontario College of Social Workers</a>
&nbsp;
<a href="https://www.oasw.org/">Ontario Association of Social Workers</a>
&nbsp;
<a href="https://letstalk.bell.ca/en/">Bell Let&rsquo;s Talk</a>

BIPOC and LGBTQ2S+ Mental Health

Canada’s Indian residential school system opened in the 1800s but the legacy of those schools is evident even today showing up in high poverty rates, over-representation of Indigenous children in foster care, a disproportionate number of Indigenous people in the prison system and hundreds of missing and murdered Indigenous women. And echoing what the community has been saying for a long time, since May of this year, more than 1,300 suspected graves have been found at or near former residential school grounds. In this episode, we speak with two residential school survivors, former First Nations chief Edmund Metatawabin from Fort Albany and Roberta Hill of the Six Nations of the Grand River, who give us first-hand accounts of the abuse and trauma they endured when they attended these residential schools. The episode also features children and grand-children of residential school survivors, Janet Head from Opaskwayak Cree Nation and author David Robertson, who share the lasting impacts these schools have had on their lives and community. Cree family physician, Dr. James Makokis, also gives us an understanding of what intergenerational trauma looks like from a professional lens and leaves us with resources on how intergenerational healing can take place.

 

Here are the various conversations:

 

@5:38 – Edmund Metatawabin

 

@41:39 – Roberta Hill

 

@56:29 – Janet Head

 

1:13:53 – David Robertson

 

1:32:04 – Dr. James Makokis

 

This episode contains discussion on mental health issues. Listener discretion is advised. If you or someone you know is in crisis please go to your local hospital or call 911 immediately. For information about services in your area, please visit www.cmha.ca. To reach the Canada Suicide Prevention Service, call 1.833.456.4566 or 1.866.APPELLE in Québec (1.866.277.3553).

 

Other Resources:

Bell Let's Talk

Mohawk Institute 

David Robertson

Indian Residential School Survivors Society  

Canada&rsquo;s Indian residential school system opened in the 1800s but the legacy of those schools is evident even today showing up in high poverty rates, over-representation of Indigenous children in foster care, a disproportionate number of Indigenous people in the prison system and hundreds of missing and murdered Indigenous women. And echoing what the community has been saying for a long time, since May of this year, more than 1,300 suspected graves have been found at or near former residential school grounds. In this episode, we speak with two residential school survivors, former First Nations chief Edmund Metatawabin from Fort Albany and Roberta Hill of the Six Nations of the Grand River, who give us first-hand accounts of the abuse and trauma they endured when they attended these residential schools. The episode also features children and grand-children of residential school survivors, Janet Head from Opaskwayak Cree Nation and author David Robertson, who share the lasting impacts these schools have had on their lives and community. Cree family physician, Dr. James Makokis, also gives us an understanding of what intergenerational trauma looks like from a professional lens and leaves us with resources on how intergenerational healing can take place.
&nbsp;
Here are the various conversations:
&nbsp;
@5:38 &ndash; Edmund Metatawabin
&nbsp;
@41:39 &ndash; Roberta Hill
&nbsp;
@56:29 &ndash; Janet Head
&nbsp;
1:13:53 &ndash; David Robertson
&nbsp;
1:32:04 &ndash; Dr. James Makokis
&nbsp;
This episode contains discussion on mental health issues. Listener discretion is advised. If you or someone you know is in crisis please go to your local hospital or call 911 immediately. For information about services in your area, please visit www.cmha.ca. To reach the Canada Suicide Prevention Service, call 1.833.456.4566 or 1.866.APPELLE in Qu&eacute;bec (1.866.277.3553).
&nbsp;
Other Resources:
<a href="https://letstalk.bell.ca/en/">Bell Let's Talk</a>
<a href="https://woodlandculturalcentre.ca/mohawk-institute-residential-school-virtual-tour-now-available-online/">Mohawk Institute </a>
<a href="https://www.darobertson.ca/">David Robertson</a>
<a href="https://www.irsss.ca/">Indian Residential School Survivors Society </a>&nbsp;

Intergenerational Trauma

According to a report by the Ontario Human Rights Commission, more than half of children under the age of 15 in foster care in Canada, are Indigenous. Being a foster child, and especially a racialized foster child, comes with its own set of challenges including stigma, lack of resources, navigating placements with different foster families and the impact on mental health including post-traumatic stress disorder, panic, anxiety disorders, major depression and drug/alcohol abuse. Black and Indigenous children are over-represented in the child welfare system and in today’s episode we are looking at some of those stories – where we hear from BIPOC adults who had to navigate the child welfare system and the impact on their mental health. We speak with one of the former residents of the Nova Scotia Home for Colored Children, Tony Smith, and the founder of a peer-support group for individuals raised in foster care, Foster-Up, Natasha Reimer Okemow. Natasha was a trans-racial adoptee, who also navigated the system from a very young age and is now reclaiming her Indigenous and Jamaican heritage. We also have insights from psychotherapist, Kosu Boudreau, who has personally experienced being in the child welfare system as a former crown ward.

 

Here are their stories:

 

Tony Smith: 05:47

 

Natasha Reimer Okemow: 29:19

 

Kosu Boudreau:  53:39

 

 

Other Resources:    

The Child Welfare Political Action Committee

 

Youth In Care Canada

 

Kosu Boudreau

 

Bell Let’s Talk

According to a report by the Ontario Human Rights Commission, more than half of children under the age of 15 in foster care in Canada, are Indigenous. Being a foster child, and especially a racialized foster child, comes with its own set of challenges including stigma, lack of resources, navigating placements with different foster families and the impact on mental health including post-traumatic stress disorder, panic, anxiety disorders, major depression and drug/alcohol abuse. Black and Indigenous children are over-represented in the child welfare system and in today&rsquo;s episode we are looking at some of those stories &ndash; where we hear from BIPOC adults who had to navigate the child welfare system and the impact on their mental health. We speak with one of the former residents of the Nova Scotia Home for Colored Children, Tony Smith, and the founder of a peer-support group for individuals raised in foster care, Foster-Up, Natasha Reimer Okemow. Natasha was a trans-racial adoptee, who also navigated the system from a very young age and is now reclaiming her Indigenous and Jamaican heritage. We also have insights from psychotherapist, Kosu Boudreau, who has personally experienced being in the child welfare system as a former crown ward.
&nbsp;
Here are their stories:
&nbsp;
Tony Smith: 05:47
&nbsp;
Natasha Reimer Okemow: 29:19
&nbsp;
Kosu Boudreau: &nbsp;53:39
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Other Resources: &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
<a href="https://www.childwelfarepac.com/">The Child Welfare Political Action Committee</a>
&nbsp;
<a href="https://youthincare.ca/">Youth In Care Canada</a>
&nbsp;
<a href="https://everwellcounselling.ca/kosu-boudreau">Kosu Boudreau</a>
&nbsp;
<a href="https://letstalk.bell.ca/en/">Bell Let&rsquo;s Talk</a>

A Tribute to Candy Palmater

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From Where We Stand: Conversations on race and mental health

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