The WhatMATRS? Project provides health programming via education, movement, and mindfulness events enacted in accessible public spaces to increase the wellbeing of communities disproportionately affected COVID-19.
Essentially: We endeavor to make people feel better.
WhatMATRS? Experiences aim to address the increasing social issues pertaining to mental & physical health that our communities have been facing during COVID-19. With almost two thirds of Canadians reporting feeling increased loneliness & isolation due to COVID-19, yet one third fear telling their friends and family how they feel, our communities are experiencing newfound declines in their overall mental wellbeing. Furthermore, with the financial uncertainties during these unprecedented times, many no longer have the resources to be able to access support programs. From our research and collection of our own data, we have been able to determine that there are certain tools & practices that help these individuals in feeling better. By providing programmed experiences designed to increase overall wellbeing, individuals can become more aware of tools they can utilize to help.
The HOW
#WhatMATRS incorporates three main elements in all of its experiences:
- LEARN
We begin all our sessions with an educational component led by our Mental Health First Aid-certified instructors to bring awareness to the often misunderstood and stigmatized signs of everyday mental health issues that someone may experience such as stress, overwhelm, and anxiety.
Note: no diagnosis are made, & attendees are encouraged to seek professional help. MOVEMENT
Our expert instructors lead the group in a movement session, ranging from yoga to pilates to dance, depending on the attendees demographic & nature of the event. Note: we aim to make this as accessible as possible to various levels of mobility.MINDFULNESS
We close our experiences with a mindfulness practice, guided by a certified Mindset Coach, who guide attendees through a safe & seated practice to elevate their mentality.
THIS ISN'T POSSIBLE WITHOUT YOU!
What MATRS Experiences, are fully funded by our amazing Supporters, and Partners. We need your help to continue this great work, and impact more lives seeking our help. With your help, you can aid in changing someone’s life.
To learn more about the project you can visit www.hopcp.ca/whatmatrs
What Funds Go Towards
Your Donations will go directly towards sponsoring spots for individuals in need of these experiences - namely, women & business owners whose mental wellbeing has been deeply affected by COVID-19. Their sources of stress included that they were feeling loneliness/isolated (28%), uncertain, and financially insecure, with 55% worried about cash flow (source: Canadian Entrepreneur Mental Health and Well-Being Report by BDC, May 2021). As such, access to support tools have become limited.
In order to facilitate these sessions, donations will go towards the programming & event facilitation including: venue rental fees, paying the instructors, support staff, as well as miscellaneous materials needed such as health screening measures & permits. All funds raised go directly towards the not-for-profit WhatMATRS Project by HOPCP Charity. Donations over $25 CAD receive a charitable tax receipt.
Why Women & Business Owners?
In the past year alone, women entrepreneurs were significantly more likely to feel depressed (51%) than Male entrepreneurs and 40% admit that mental health challenges interfered with their ability to work, therefore also affecting their ability to earn.
As we stretched well into the COVID-19 pandemic, more individuals within our communities experienced a decline in their overall wellbeing. In specifically working with women creatives & entrepreneurs, we were seeing firsthand how COVID-19 was affecting their health, and therefore their ability to work. Their sources of stress included that they were feeling loneliness/isolated (28%), uncertain, and financially insecure, with 55% worried about cash flow (source: Canadian Entrepreneur Mental Health and Well-Being Report by BDC, May 2021).
According to the same above report, physical activity is the most frequent & effective means used for dealing with mental health issues (47%) on the personal side, as well as 22% saying practicing gratitude. Furthermore, advancing women’s equality in Canada has the potential to add $150 billion in incremental GDP in 2026, (a 0.6% increase to annual GDP). Essentially; we need women to be feeling mentally strong enough in order to be able to show up for themselves, their families, their work, and ultimately our economy. When a woman wins, we all do.