CMHA Kelowna Branch Focus
The Canadian Mental Health Association Kelowna and District Branch was founded in 1956 and is dedicated to the promotion of mental health of all. No matter how old or how young, we provide support for families and individuals through programs that promote positive mental health and support recovery, while championing the elimination of barriers that can prevent people from thriving.
We do this through:
CMHA Kelowna is part of a network of more than 80 Canadian Mental Health Association branches across the country. Each year we provide services and supports to more than 1.3 million Canadians through the combined efforts of more than 11,000 volunteers and staff in over 330 communities.
Founded in 1918, the Canadian Mental Health Association is one of the oldest continuing voluntary health and not for profit organizations in Canada.
As a nation-wide, voluntary organization, the Canadian Mental Health Association promotes the mental health of all and supports the resilience and recovery of people experiencing mental illness. The CMHA accomplishes this mission through advocacy, education, research and service.
CMHA Kelowna strives to create a workplace that respects and values all individuals, minimizes bias, and promotes the equity, diversity, and inclusion of different perspectives and ideas.
What does that mean?
At CMHA Kelowna equity means the fair treatment, access, opportunity, and advancement for all people, while at the same time striving to identify and eliminate barriers that have prevented the full participation of some groups.
When we say diversity, we are including all the ways in which one individual or group can be different from another. At CMHA Kelowna that means diversity in mental health, race, ethnicity, and culture. It also means diverse abilities, age, religion, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, gender identities, education, marital status, language, and physical appearance. Imbedded within this is diversity of thoughts, ideas, perspectives, and values.
Inclusion at CMHA Kelowna is the act of creating environments in which any individual or group can be and feel welcomed, respected, supported, and valued in order to fully participate. An inclusive and welcoming climate that embraces differences and offers respect in words and actions for all people.
It is this lens of equity, diversity and inclusion, and the values that come with it, that is embedded in the work we do everyday.
