Students attended the Los Medanos College mental health seminar held by the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging and Dreamer Alliance.
The seminar was presented in Spanish and was brought to students by La Clínica. A nonprofit community oriented health center in the East Bay that serves immigrants and low-income residents.
The seminar took place Tuesday, Feb. 24 from 1 to 3 p.m. in Room 225 on the second floor of the Pittsburg campus complex. The seminar will take place four more times on March 3, 10, 17 and 24 at the same location and time.
The workshop covered topics such as stress, anxiety and mindfulness. The idea was to open minds and reduce stigmas around mental health. Food and drink were provided for participants.
Daniel Soto, a student and active participant of the seminar said “The event was the best because it was about feelings and family which are very important to me.”
Student Advisor Hector Combshidalgo of the Equity and Inclusion Department explained that “It was our first time holding this event and I feel as if it was a massive success.” He clarifies that they didn’t run into any problems and was very grateful for being able to help host this event at LMC.
When asked what the Dreamer Alliance, who helped co-run the event, wanted participants to take from the seminar, Senior Program Coordinator Letta Greene said, “We want to make sure their needs are being met, not just physically but mentally as well. We want them to know that we see you and we hear you. The seminar is a more holistic approach to help people keep calm in times like these.”
Patricia Dalbey, who was one of the presenters at the seminar as the Lead Community Health Educator said, “We want them to know that they are not alone. We are a group dealing with the same situation. A conversation we had was how it feels to emigrate from different countries and address the problem that is going on right now. The workshops give us strength to keep going and mental health is not an easy topic to talk about.”
La Clínica’s services include, but not limited to, medical care, dental, optometry, mental health, community health education and health insurance renewal assistance. You can learn more about La Clínica by visiting their website at www.laclinica.org.
More information about upcoming events can be found on the LMC website under the calendar of events and we thank La Clínica for giving the presentation.