Shakti in Caulfield East, Victoria, Australia | Community organisation

Shakti

Locality: Caulfield East, Victoria, Australia

Phone: +61 424 799 110

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• Community organisation
• Youth organisation

25.01.2022 Shakti global perspectives ft Saath and founder Kajol Desai (U.K) saath. was created by myself (Kajol Desai) when dealing with personal mental health issues and wanting to share the journey. saath translates as together and the aim of the platform was always to create a community and open dialogue as seen by the latest series of "saathis speak" whereby many different voices have shared their thoughts upon mental health, personal development and general wellbeing. The primary ...aim is to raise awareness of mental health, cultivate mental strength and more specifically, offer tips and inspiration from personal journeys to support others. Another key aim is to reduce stigma within south asian communities but even more so for the Hindu community as I noticed there was not a lot, if any, Hindu specific conversation and as my journey to explore this aspect of identity has grown I have increasingly found a lot of wonderful concepts that can support with mental resilience wrapped within Hindu Dharma which has seen more recent times of saath beginning to unpack these universal lessons. Stigma is still very much pervading within our societies and I had the privilege of being able to study this further through my final year dissertation project which I recently completed upon attitudes towards mental health held by the "BAME" communities. I believe we now need to shift the conversation from mental ill health toward mental resilience, strength and fitness. COVID-19 for me has actually been abnormal to the common dialogue in that I've actually found myself really thriving as a result of lockdown. I've had a lot more time to read, get immersed in online courses, watch content that uplifts, inspires and expands my mind. So my advice to anyone would be the same, be mindful of what you are consuming this means your diet, the things you watch and listen to as well as who you engage with. All of these things have a huge impact upon you and I feel often we don't think about this. I'd also say ensure that you are taking time to slow down and be at one with yourself, even if this is 5 minutes in the morning and 5 at night or on the better days, get walking outside, get some fresh air and get your body moving! #shareyourshakti

25.01.2022 Shakti perspectives: Gurvinder I have always been mental health aware even with the limited resources in India I placed value in it. Mental Health started to matter to me when I realized depression was stopping me from doing day to day stuff and I started feeling empty and hollow inside. I can only give advice from my personal experience. I was really shamed of my illness and called "weak". Do not let years of conditioning get in your way of reaching out for help. You are n...ot weak, or sad or broken mental health illnesses are just as real as fever, typhoid and other diseases. Do not rely on family and friends for therapy they aren't equipped to give you advice, would you go to our best friend for advice on fever no! Take this seriously and seek professional help. Remember that you are not alone, 1 in 3 people are affected by mental health illnesses once in their life so the statistics are high. I practice combination of little daily things to support my mental health. I have distanced myself from relationships that were too draining I have good boundaries in place and do not tire myself supporting others. Most importantly doing more of what I love; art, gardening, playing with my dog and organising. Within Australian/ South Asian communities awareness needs to be raised, people need to start talking about this more openly, immigrant parents need to be made aware of the effects of migration on themselves and their kids mental health. They also need to be aware about the support services available to them. There is privilege in being overseas and there's heaps of support available. As an immigrant I accessed a few mental health services but felt the mental health sector isn't as well-informed of the struggles of being an immigrant. I feel if someone has experienced challenges it's completely normal, it just means that this needs to be communicated and participated in online forums to share your experiences, let's create a society where our needs are being met and talked about just as much. Abroad I believe there's a long way to go there's definitely more resources in some South Asian countries than there ever was however if we can start by opening the conversations in our families overseas it's going to create a change for sure. I had a few words on causes of mental health decline in South Asian communities; we need to let go of the facade we grew up with of ‘always keeping it together’. The decline in mental health can often sneak up on us every forced smile to align with the societal image of a happy family or a gender expectation for women slowly catches up and internal battle begins. Notice your early signs it might sound cliche but be yourself your true authentic self and when you start to feel like it's all too much reach out. #shareyourshakti

22.01.2022 Shakti global perpsectives ft Bobby Sandhu (U.K) When we speak about mental health awareness, for me that awareness began with the journey of becoming self aware. Self aware of the things that made me feel uneasy, self aware of the people that made me feel uneasy & self aware of the environments that made me feel uneasy. What I learnt in this process was university really was a trigger to a decline in my mental health, being around others that ostracised me, made me feel stra...nge, unwanted & weird which in effect all fed into heightened anxiety. The 3 years weren’t all doom and gloom but I can safely say that those were the worst, the years I wished then that I could erase, that I could completely forget about as if it had never happened. But fast forward to now, the beauty I see in the pain, struggle and alienation of university taught me the power of loving myself in a whole new way. What once used to bother me about being different, now makes me thrive, what once used to make me feel uneasy that I didn’t fit in, now makes me excited, what once used to bother me about what others thought, now makes me live my life more honest than ever. Mental health awareness is constant, and the beauty of it is that when you become fully aware of your mind & body, when you make peace with the notion that your mental health is like the weather and can change on a day to day basis, you learn to love & appreciate yourself in a way no one else could ever teach you. My turbulent mental health which is always ongoing- and there’s no shame in admitting that, has allowed me to discover ways to deal with it but most of all it’s taught me that my life is beautiful, it’s special, I’m special & the person I am today, is an evolution from the person I was yesterday. #mensmentalhealth #shareyourshakti

21.01.2022 Amazing little piece by Amritha Shakti entitled 'From depression to self love' discussing many themes of mental health in the South Asian community and dropping the stigma, have a read

19.01.2022 Shakti mental health stands in solidarity #BLM and the need to stop Aboriginal deaths in custody but this is only the beginning, now that we have marched, rallied together, protested we need to continue the conversation after the 'hype' has died down and make sure those at fault are held to account and that the Australian government holds a referendum into the 435 deaths of Aboriginals and first nations people at the hands of police and correctional officers. Without action ...these unjust practices will continue. There are many ways you can support this cause, below are a couple good starts though remember It's not up to first nations people to let the public know what needs support, we should take this time to read up, research and learn about the needed changes and make informed decisions. https://www.change.org/p/prevent-another-aboriginal-death-i https://www.erc.org.au/indigenous_incarceration #alwayswasalwayswillbe #nojusticenopeace #stopaboriginaldeathsincustody

16.01.2022 Shakti perspectives ft Dark liqua podcast (Romea and Jas) The Dark Liqua podcast is all about creating a safe space where we could have open conversations about anything, we found that after moving out from our parents' house and living in Melbourne we both lead busy lives and were constantly working or at events so even though we lived together we no longer just sat and had fun. We have always been close siblings so we didn’t want to lose that connection, we found since sta...Continue reading

11.01.2022 Great decision by the Victorian government to include and extra 10 psych sessions to Medicare holders during lockdown. If only we could get similar exceptions for non Medicare holders as the extended conditions will affect many internationals in Victoria.

10.01.2022 For R U OK Day Shakti would like to highlight the importance of Mental Health in our elderly communities, some quick facts; Globally, the population is ageing rapidly. Between 2015 and 2050, the proportion of the world’s population over 60 years will nearly double, from 12% to 22%. Mental health and well-being are as important in older age as at any other time of life.... Mental and neurological disorders among older adults account for 6.6% of the total disability (DALYs) for this age group. Approximately 15% of adults aged 60 and over suffer from a mental disorder. For our elderly community isolation and loneliness are major issues, especially if that individual has been placed in a retirement village or their children and other family have moved away from them. Everyday we keep practise in place to make ourselves feel young, keep youthful and do what we can for our physical health to keep Active. We forget at times though that our elderly are not getting any younger and they don’t have the same opportunities to keep as active we do mentally and ask physically, most because of pre existing illness’s or conditions. Today I ask that we take on the task of making our Grand Parents feel young again, remind the of their youth and listen just listen to their stories. Ask them what life was like when they were your age, ask them about their own experience in work life, ask them about what it means to be happy, what that word means to them. So please please just have a conversation with your Elderly, your Dada/ Dadi, Nana/ Nani , Tata/Tatiana, Aaji/Aaja, grandpa/grandma. There is a multitude of worldly experience they can offer us, we just need to start that first conversation and take the time to ask. Devian: Shakti mental health Melbourne *source of stats. https://www.who.int///detail/mental-health-of-older-adults Artwork by zhk designs (Zoe Harveen Kaur)

08.01.2022 WE PUBLISHED! Thank you to MHF for including our Shakti perspectives in their article discussing mental health in multicultural communities. thank you to Pyrawry Sivarajah, Tharindu Jaydeva and Devian Panchal for allowing their perspectives to be shared. "One of the ways this is beginning to have an impact is through the power of collective stories. Individuals within the South Asian community, thorough initiatives such as Shakti Mental Health Melbourne, have begun to share their lived experience in an effort to stand in solidarity with others, especially youth who have also struggled with the same issues, but now have an opportunity to do so due to a wider issue that is being felt by everyone; the COVID-19 crisis"

07.01.2022 Shakti perspectives ft Abira Kannan (writer, advocate, artist) Although I have noticed a shift in mental health within the Tamil community, we still have a long road ahead of us. Collectively our community addresses health and illness differently and holds rigid social norms and deeply rooted oppressive thinking patterns. A culture living off a lifestyle of ‘what would others think’ ultimately focuses on productivity and achievement so when it comes to mental health issues, ...it must be ‘handled privately’. These negative attitudes lead to a detrimental belief system that exacerbate identifying our own experience as we become in denial or dismissive and we end up self-stigmatising ourselves with feelings of guilt and shame. Our community tends to adopt the ‘sweep it under the rug’ approach towards issues and trauma. ‘Mummifying’ the human experience by the constant ‘you’re fine’ and ‘just move on’ only discourages us to recognise healthier coping mechanisms and solutions. This isn’t exclusive to just the older generation but it is confusing and upsetting to see it take place with the upcoming generation too. Change can start through one person and that one person can just be yourself. From there, having open and confident discussions on taboo topics with friends and family helps to end some of the barriers in the South Asian community. By doing this you’re already showing up for others. Growing up, I was someone who bottled my feelings and experiences and there was just a bursting point. Not talking about significant life events was a form of inhibition that slowly lead to a foam of unresolved wounds. As a result, writing poetry was a way for me to express the pain or emotions I had inside me. Initially inspiration for my poetry came from personal experience but after a while I learnt to self-regulate my emotions and become more attentive to other things in life; even the mundane. As a result, observation would be what inspires me now when I write. I found that constantly writing and writing ended up ‘dulling out’ negative experiences or at least not letting them carry the same weight. I think the positive thing about writing is that it allows for not only the expression of emotions but also the processing of them, giving yourself the opportunity to heal. It’s a place where you really have to look deep inside yourself which is why it’s hard work but therapeutic. Other things I do to practice self-care is reading self-help books. Reading is incredible in the way that we gain limitless knowledge and insight. There are so many perspectives we don’t know of yet and it allows me to constantly evolve and grow as a person. #shareyourshakti

06.01.2022 Shakti stands with all South Asian communties when it comes to mental health advocacy. COVID-19 is demonstrating how important it is to make South Asian mental health a priority, and to access services when we need them. However, census data demonstrates that individuals born in an Asian country access mental health services much less frequently than Australian-born residents. The Centre for Mental Health is conducting a survey on factors that shape Sri Lankan Australians’ ...help seeking behaviours and experiences of mental health. The survey should take less than 30 minutes, and is exploring the community’s perspective, so it is open to ALL SRI LANKAN AUSTRALIANS. The link to complete the survey is below and please share in your networks. https://swinuw.au1.qualtrics.com/j/form/SV_0ji9IiYPLaThn2B

06.01.2022 Shakti perspectives ft Aastha Khanna discussing creative methods of self care during lockdown. **please not this post discusses suicidal ideation I have most definitely struggled with mental illness. I began my battle with depression in early 2016 and nearly took my life because of it. I was never taught the importance of having a healthy mind so when it first plagued my mind it completely caught me off guard. I felt alone not because I did not have anyone to support me ...Continue reading

06.01.2022 Hoodies have arrived!! big thank you to 't shirts only' for putting our logo to print. Our website will be ready by Friday 23/10 where you can place orders and visit our page :D

05.01.2022 Our tees from 't shirts only' came in today :D currently finishing our new website with a product store to go with so we can start sharing our merchandise with everyone *sorry bout the nba commentary in the background' Regards... Jagesh #shareyourshakti

05.01.2022 Shakti perspectives: featuing Taranjeet founder of @kaur.healing I’ve experienced mental health challenges at different periods of my life. There is a lot of pressure to hold a particular identity within the South Asian community. This makes letting people in the community getting to know our stories and struggles a difficult process, let alone getting support to work through the symptoms. As Audre Lorde said, 'Caring for myself is not self-indulgence. It is self-preservatio...n, and that is an act of political warfare'. I see self care as a crucial part of resisting the capitalist, white supremacist, hetero patriarchal state of the world. I connect with nature, and maintain relationships with family and friend. I also enjoy going camping or bike riding. I do not believe there is adequate support for minority mental health within Australia. There are indigenous, people of colour and LGBTIQ+ therapists in the community, however many minority communities are unaware of the support out there, due to lack of discussion around mental health support. GP's from minority communities are not being made aware of minority therapists or support groups. As a social worker I speak to many people in the community, I often find that many individuals are not aware of where they can seek support. Some of the inequalities that need to be addressed are increased forms in languages other than English. more discussions about diverse mental health experiences need to be had, initiative needs to be taken to create support groups within our communities. #healing #southasian #australia #southaustralia #inequalities #minority #southasianmentalhealth #mentalhealth #socialworker #community #discussion #southasianwomen #identity #struggle #growth #shareyourshakti

04.01.2022 500 followers! about 3 weeks ago Shakti hit a small milestone of reaching 500 followers, over the past couple years I've been so overwhelmed with the amount of support we've received as a forum that discusses mental health in the South Asian community/ Aus community. Recently Shakti has started taking submission from over overseas as well as filling the need to gain south asian perspectives abroad with our 'global series'. We've got some plans coming up for 2020 that were ...hoping to see through as well as expanding our team, stay tuned! Just want to thank everyone who has either contributed to shakti mental health or supported the platform along the way. Big thaaank you to Sim @sim.prasad who's been creating the layouts you see on Shakti and my brother Devian @theeclecticdev who's come on board to support the platform. Thank you: Jagesh Shakti mental health Melbourne #shareyourshakti #southasianmentalhealth #aus #uk #nz #mentalhealth #minority #melbourne #support #strength

03.01.2022 Shakti perspectives ft Maneka 'Discussing her experiences teaching multicutrual students in Melbourne and the effects of a hollow curriculum'. What is the function of narrative and the way in which we teach it? As an educator, beginning to answer this question holistically is impossible without looking at it through the lens of power, identity and thus self-actualisation. ...Continue reading