Krystle Canare for NAAPIMHA #GiveInMay Campaign

Ten years ago at my first internship, I was introduced to NAAPIMHA, the National Asian American Pacific Islander Mental Health Association. I was tasked with shadowing their training, “Achieving Whole Health: Balancing Body, Mind, and Spirit” a training that taught people to become wellness coaches for their respective Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) communities. Rather than just being a fly on the wall, I was invited to participate and be in community with AANHPI community leaders and mental health professionals from across the country.  Upon conclusion of the course, I was surprised with my own certificate and the following words: “You’re never just the intern, you’re a part of the AANHPI community, and now a certified AANHPI wellness coach”.

I would go on to use what I learned from this experience in my own community organizing and professional career – from spaces in the AANHPI and Filipino American community to the National Alliance on Mental Illness and the National Council for Mental Wellbeing. I would hold dialogues with community members around mental health, as unfamiliar and as uneasy as it could sometimes be, and found connection and hope in the power of every story shared.

Fast forward to the present, I have the honor of serving as NAAPIMHA’s Deputy Director, a role that offers me the privilege to continue to listen, learn, and uplift cultural ways of healing in our communities. In the past year in this role, I am proud to see the exponential growth in AANHPIs trained as wellness coaches and Mental Health First Aiders. I am inspired by the rapid response of AANHPI communities to organize in the face of violence and destruction and work alongside them to support impacted victims and families during times of crisis and post-community care. I am motivated by the momentum around AANHPI mental health and the evolving ecosystem of AANHPI mental health leaders and healers answering the call to combat violence and genocide with ancestral healing, joy, and collective liberation.

I am driven to continue this heart work and invite you to join me in celebration of the growing AANHPI mental health movement. Any contribution helps in supporting our vision towards a world where mental health is destigmatized and AANHPI individuals and communities are able to access the care and information they need for their well-being.