Brac Hope Festival

We treat physical ailments, and take regular care of the body to stay healthy. But the mind? Many of us do not know that the mind can be sick, and that the mind needs care. Many are becoming aware of the issue of mental health care. People think that only adults need mental care but children need it as well.

Brac IED's child therapist Mostak Imran said, "Our children want to play. They want to make their childhood enjoyable through games and stories. But do not get the chance. It turns out we don't have a playground. Children are becoming addicted to various devices. They should be given the opportunity to play in various festivals and festivals. Children can play in any environment. They don't need a lot of money for that." He made the remarks after seeing children's enthusiasm at the 'Hope Festival' organised by the private development organisation Brac.

As part of BRAC's 50-year march, the three-day 'Hope Festival' started on 9 February at the capital's Army Stadium. The three-day programme was organised keeping in mind the themes: 'Bangladesh in the Heart', 'Possibilities of Possibilities', and 'The World We Want to Build'. The event was for children. But audiences of all ages, including many parents, found the pure joy of their lost childhoods.

Anisha, a child spectator, was very excited to come to the event, "Many adults have also participated with me. It seems to me that we are all of the same age; we are equal."

Celebrating 50 years of Brac's inspiring stories, Brac Institute of Educational Development (Brac IED) participated in the Hope Festival to spread the message to the general public that mental health care is essential for everyday life.

Photo: Courtesy

Brac IED psychologist Nusrat Jahan said, "It is very important to take care of mental health. If we are mentally well then we can spend the present beautifully and think about the future. Not only children, people of all ages and even mothers during pregnancy need mental health care."

In various workshops for mental health development, experts said, "Anger and stress can be controlled only if you can control your mind. If that is not possible, there are problems with expressing emotions in social interaction. People of different age groups should socialise with a positive attitude in society.

In this event, not only through theoretical discussions but also various workshops organised around the 'Mind Tree', the audience could learn about the good and bad sides of the mind. Interesting emojis were arranged to make it easy to understand what to do to feel good. There was an open discussion about how parents can take care of themselves, including managing stress and anger.

Participating in the discussion, people found a new way to keep their mind calm. One such person is Swarna Mita Chowdhury. She said, "We have gone through several trials in organising the Hope Festival. It was very helpful for me as a student learning how to manage stress. I have a younger brother at home, I learned how to behave with him from the 'Healthy Parenting' session. This education will help me a lot in dealing with mental health in my daily life."

Brac IED has been working since 2013 to improve mental health at various levels of societies across the country through nearly 700 para counselors who are elected leaders from the community. They understand the languages of their area and can provide mental health support to children, adolescents, and parents.

Taifur Islam, child psychologist, Brac IED said, "We are organising various short courses where guidance is given on positive parenting, anger management or how a person can develop himself as a psychosocial supporter. Through this, people of the country will be aware of mental health care."