Brave Spaces & Programs
Here for all Canadians.
The Healing Happens Here campaign is grounded in compelling national and community-specific research that underscores the urgent mental health needs of newcomer and refugee youth in Canada. This research confirms both the depth of the need and the effectiveness of culturally safe, trauma-informed, and community-led care models like ABRAR's Brave Spaces and free 1:1 counselling to those who need it most.
We Create Brave Spaces
Our Goal: National Launch of Brave Spaces Program
A culturally tailored mental health initiative for equity-deserving and underserved youth, focusing on newcomers and immigrants.
- Engaging and supporting vulnerable youth across Canada.
- Supported by mental health counselors, staff, and volunteers with lived experience delivering group sessions focused on culture, community, and care.
- Healing together through sharing, creative arts, and skill building activities delivered in native languages with English interpretation as needed.
- Addressing systemic gaps in mental care for racialized youth, enhancing both organizational and community capacity.
We Provide Culturally Competent Care
Our Goal: Scaling Free 1:1 Counseling and Therapy for Newcomer and Immigrant Youth
- Improving trust, access, and outcomes by providing free of charge, accessible, and low-barrier 1:1 care in the native language of youth accessing support.
- Incorporating tradition, trauma context, and cultural values with culturally adapted interventions.
- Building stronger relationships and reducing stigma by delivering care through mental health professionals who reflect the lived experience of their clients.
Who Will Access Care?
The Healing Happens Here campaign will provide hope, healing, and opportunity to individuals and youth who…
- Are immigrants, newcomers, and refugees.
- Have faced significant traumas from war, displacement, and xenophobia.
- Have experienced layered stress from racism, economic hardship, and compounding mental health risks.
- Are from primarily Afghan, Arabic, Spanish, and Haitian speaking communities.
- Require services that honour cultural identity, resilience, and belonging.
Supported by National Best Practices
ABRAR's approach is aligned with Canada's vision for equitable mental health.
ABRAR's Brave Spaces and 1:1 intervention aligns with national mental health strategies, particularly those of the Mental Health Commission of Canada, prioritizing equity and culturally competent care.
Our models are adaptable, scalable, and align with federal priorities for mental health access, equity, and innovation in underserved populations.
We live and breathe culturally competent care and community-led interventions. We believe that culture is healing, community is power, and that care is a right - not a privilege.
Ready to Support Brave Spaces?
Join us in creating safe, culturally responsive spaces for healing across Canada.