West Indian Well Being

West Indian

Nowadays, the term West Indies is often interchangeable with the term Caribbean, although the latter may also include some Central and South American mainland nations which have Caribbean coastlines or coastlines close to the Caribbean, such as Belize, French Guiana, Guyana, and Suriname, as well as the Atlantic island nation of Bermuda.

Well Being

Well being can be understood as how people feel and how they function both on a personal and social level, and how they evaluate their lives as a whole.

Minneapolis, Minnesota

At West Indian Well-Being our mission is to create a community healing space to provide support, spread awareness, offer accessible resources, and combat the stigma surrounding mental health in the West Indian community.

Our Mission

WIWB is a place and a group of people who can lean on each other for support when things are hard, but also celebrate each other when things are good. We will also have events that bring together a community of people with shared values and also offer a network of accessible and trustworthy resources. We are creating a community within our community!

Individuals who identify as West Indian or Indo-Caribbean often face many mental health challenges that are specific to our culture.

This is in large part due to the transmission of trauma that has been passed down throughout the generations.

These traumas include matters pertaining to identity, substance abuse, depression, suicidality, gender-based violence, racism, and colorism.

It is our mission to break the existing cycle of transgenerational trauma.

As of 2019, Guyana was ranked as the nation with the second highest suicide rate in the world. (WHO 2019)

In a study sought to determine whether an association exists between alcohol dependence, it was determined that 41% of Indo-Trinidadian individuals with alcohol dependence had comorbid major depression induced by alcohol or drug use.

We believe that our community needs support, and we plan to offer this by cultivating a space for wholesome activities and fruitful conversations.

This will be done by hosting monthly events promoting wellness, and healing our minds, bodies, and spirits. Additionally, our members are working to create a web-based network of referrals. This network includes culturally competent resources such as physicians, therapists, community resources, etc.

The most powerful healing is done through meaningful connection. We plan to create a community of individuals with shared values, cultures, experiences, and goals (specifically for holistic well-being).

It’s all about a dialogue

A few words from our team.

The vision for WIWB is to bring our community together and provide a space where everyone can lean on each other for support.

This mission is important to me because I know people who have been impacted by mental illness and substance abuse and I am close with the individuals who created this initiative.

Nalini Dolaram

WIWB is opening a safe space where we can have those tough conversations about the many challenges we all face as first gen Americans torn between our different cultures.

We are breaking the stigmas surrounding mental health and shedding light on our shared experiences.

Anita Powell

In the West Indian community the phrase of “what will people think?” is taught to us as threat and to be feared.

The WIWB group creates a safe environment where people can express who they truly are along with expressing their opinions without fear of judgement.

Mel Deonarine