Health / mental health
Peer support group for women of colour to launch
Following the launch of an LGBTQ+ peer support group in December 2019, Changes Bristol are preparing to launch a peer group specifically for women of colour.
The mental health charity has been running mental health peer support meetings in the city of Bristol for adults since 2004 and has started the new group in recognition that mental health services for women of colour is very limited in Bristol.
The group has been created to provide a safe space for women of colour to connect, share and feel empowered by a supportive community. This peer support group will initially take place online with the aim to become a physical weekly meeting once it becomes safe to do so.
is needed now More than ever
Led by Fayola Edmunds, who has been facilitating peer support groups with Changes Bristol for almost two years, the charity hopes to create a peer support group for men of colour, as well as a mixed group for people of all genders in the future.
“Following on from the Black Lives Matter global action in the Summer of 2020, which included solidarity marches in Bristol, services for women of colour are still very limited,” says Fayola.
“Many of us in the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities are left feeling like there still isn’t any support or outlet to process our feelings around discrimination and our mental wellbeing.”
Services for women of colour are still very limited, despite Black Lives Matter action. Photo: Martin Booth
The first peer support group for women of colour will run on Monday, January 18 from 6.30pm to 8.30pm on Zoom. These will continue on a weekly basis every Monday at the same time and are free to attend.
The launch of the peer support group for women of colour follows the successful startup of a peer support group for LGBTQ+ people, which runs each week on a Tuesday.
“I feel that racial abuse, like any form of abuse, leaves survivors with a complex set of emotional scars that need to be discussed in order for us to heal,” Fayola says.
“When you combine the pressure that people of colour undergo as a result of prejudice and discrimination, with the negative experiences of those attempting to use mental health services, you can see there is a real need for this group.”
Main photo: Changes Bristol
Read more: LGBTQ+ peer support group launched
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