About James Donaldson, Author of Standing Above The Crowd and Celebrating Your Gift of Life
To Order Your Copy of Standing Above The CrowdClick Here
To Order Your Personally Signed Copy of Celebrating Your Gift of LifeClick Here
James Donaldson is a Washington State University graduate (’79). After an outstanding basketball career with WSU, he went on to play professional basketball in the NBA with the Seattle Supersonics, San Diego/L.A. Clippers, Dallas Mavericks, New York Knicks, and Utah Jazz. He also played for several teams in the European Leagues in Spain, Italy, and Greece, and he toured with The Harlem Globetrotters to wrap up his career. James was an NBA All-Star in 1988 while playing center for the Dallas Mavericks. In 2006, James was inducted into the Pac-10 Sports Hall of Fame and also the Washington State University Athletic Hall of Fame. In 2010, James was elected as a board member for the NBA Retired Players Association.
James established The Donaldson Clinic in January 1990 - 2018 (shortly after a career-threatening knee injury) with the idea that he would eventually become a physical therapist. He is a strong advocate for Women & Minority owned businesses and is very involved with various Chambers of Commerce. He understands what it takes to sustain a strong business environment that is conducive to the success of businesses overall. He also serves as a coach for other small business owners.
Today, James devotes the majority of his time to various community activities and to the operations of The Donaldson Clinic which he closed in 2018. James frequently conducts speaking engagements (motivational, inspirational, educational) for organizations, schools, and youth groups.
In 2009, James was a candidate for the office of Mayor for the City of Seattle. He had a strong fourth place finish in a crowded field of eight candidates. It was the first time James ran for an elected office in the world of politics, and he continues to work closely with several elected officials in regards to politics, youth, and educational issues in Seattle.
In 2010, James was the recipient of the NBA Legends of Basketball ABC Award, awarded for outstanding contributions in Athletics–Business–Community.
Currently, James is a director in China with the China Service Center for Friendship and Cooperation with Foreign Countries Studying Abroad Department in which he assists in helping students with various study abroad and cultural exchange programs.
James is a long-time resident of the Greater Seattle area. He believes in being a role model for success and professionalism to the scores of young people to whom he devotes so much of his time. He currently serves on several boards and committees and is a member of many organizations.
James believes in developing relationships that create a “Win-Win” environment for everyone involved, and in being the best he can be!
For more information about James Donaldson or to request he speak at your event, contact him at:
www.StandingAboveTheCrowd.com
JamesD@StandingAboveTheCrowd.com
1-800-745-3161 (voicemail & fax)
https://standingabovethecrowd.com/about/
Sunday, February 6, 2022
About James Donaldson, Author of Standing Above The Crowd and Celebrating Your Gift of Life
To Order Your Copy of Standing Above The CrowdClick Here
To Order Your Personally Signed Copy of Celebrating Your Gift of LifeClick Here
James Donaldson is a Washington State University graduate (’79). After an outstanding basketball career with WSU, he went on to play professional basketball in the NBA with the Seattle Supersonics, San Diego/L.A. Clippers, Dallas Mavericks, New York Knicks, and Utah Jazz. He also played for several teams in the European Leagues in Spain, Italy, and Greece, and he toured with The Harlem Globetrotters to wrap up his career. James was an NBA All-Star in 1988 while playing center for the Dallas Mavericks. In 2006, James was inducted into the Pac-10 Sports Hall of Fame and also the Washington State University Athletic Hall of Fame. In 2010, James was elected as a board member for the NBA Retired Players Association.
James established The Donaldson Clinic in January 1990 - 2018 (shortly after a career-threatening knee injury) with the idea that he would eventually become a physical therapist. He is a strong advocate for Women & Minority owned businesses and is very involved with various Chambers of Commerce. He understands what it takes to sustain a strong business environment that is conducive to the success of businesses overall. He also serves as a coach for other small business owners.
Today, James devotes the majority of his time to various community activities and to the operations of The Donaldson Clinic which he closed in 2018. James frequently conducts speaking engagements (motivational, inspirational, educational) for organizations, schools, and youth groups.
In 2009, James was a candidate for the office of Mayor for the City of Seattle. He had a strong fourth place finish in a crowded field of eight candidates. It was the first time James ran for an elected office in the world of politics, and he continues to work closely with several elected officials in regards to politics, youth, and educational issues in Seattle.
In 2010, James was the recipient of the NBA Legends of Basketball ABC Award, awarded for outstanding contributions in Athletics–Business–Community.
Currently, James is a director in China with the China Service Center for Friendship and Cooperation with Foreign Countries Studying Abroad Department in which he assists in helping students with various study abroad and cultural exchange programs.
James is a long-time resident of the Greater Seattle area. He believes in being a role model for success and professionalism to the scores of young people to whom he devotes so much of his time. He currently serves on several boards and committees and is a member of many organizations.
James believes in developing relationships that create a “Win-Win” environment for everyone involved, and in being the best he can be!
For more information about James Donaldson or to request he speak at your event, contact him at:
www.StandingAboveTheCrowd.com
JamesD@StandingAboveTheCrowd.com
1-800-745-3161 (voicemail & fax)
https://standingabovethecrowd.com/about/
To Order Your Copy of Standing Above The CrowdClick Here
To Order Your Personally Signed Copy of Celebrating Your Gift of LifeClick Here
James Donaldson is a Washington State University graduate (’79). After an outstanding basketball career with WSU, he went on to play professional basketball in the NBA with the Seattle Supersonics, San Diego/L.A. Clippers, Dallas Mavericks, New York Knicks, and Utah Jazz. He also played for several teams in the European Leagues in Spain, Italy, and Greece, and he toured with The Harlem Globetrotters to wrap up his career. James was an NBA All-Star in 1988 while playing center for the Dallas Mavericks. In 2006, James was inducted into the Pac-10 Sports Hall of Fame and also the Washington State University Athletic Hall of Fame. In 2010, James was elected as a board member for the NBA Retired Players Association.
James established The Donaldson Clinic in January 1990 - 2018 (shortly after a career-threatening knee injury) with the idea that he would eventually become a physical therapist. He is a strong advocate for Women & Minority owned businesses and is very involved with various Chambers of Commerce. He understands what it takes to sustain a strong business environment that is conducive to the success of businesses overall. He also serves as a coach for other small business owners.
Today, James devotes the majority of his time to various community activities and to the operations of The Donaldson Clinic which he closed in 2018. James frequently conducts speaking engagements (motivational, inspirational, educational) for organizations, schools, and youth groups.
In 2009, James was a candidate for the office of Mayor for the City of Seattle. He had a strong fourth place finish in a crowded field of eight candidates. It was the first time James ran for an elected office in the world of politics, and he continues to work closely with several elected officials in regards to politics, youth, and educational issues in Seattle.
In 2010, James was the recipient of the NBA Legends of Basketball ABC Award, awarded for outstanding contributions in Athletics–Business–Community.
Currently, James is a director in China with the China Service Center for Friendship and Cooperation with Foreign Countries Studying Abroad Department in which he assists in helping students with various study abroad and cultural exchange programs.
James is a long-time resident of the Greater Seattle area. He believes in being a role model for success and professionalism to the scores of young people to whom he devotes so much of his time. He currently serves on several boards and committees and is a member of many organizations.
James believes in developing relationships that create a “Win-Win” environment for everyone involved, and in being the best he can be!
For more information about James Donaldson or to request he speak at your event, contact him at:
www.StandingAboveTheCrowd.com
JamesD@StandingAboveTheCrowd.com
1-800-745-3161 (voicemail & fax)
https://standingabovethecrowd.com/about/
Standing Above The Crowd Podcast Hosted By James Donaldson 02/05 with Special Guest Coach George Raveling
Standing Above The Crowd Podcast Hosted By James Donaldson 02/05 with Special Guest Coach George Raveling
Standing Above The Crowd Podcast Hosted By James Donaldson 02/05 with Special Guest Coach George Raveling
https://standingabovethecrowd.com/2022/02/if-you-missed-the-live-broadcast-here-is-a-link-to-listen-to-my-30-minute-interview-with-coach-george-raveling/
Standing Above The Crowd Podcast Hosted By James Donaldson 02/05 with Special Guest Coach George Raveling
Standing Above The Crowd Podcast Hosted By James Donaldson 02/05 with Special Guest Coach George Raveling
https://standingabovethecrowd.com/2022/02/if-you-missed-the-live-broadcast-here-is-a-link-to-listen-to-my-30-minute-interview-with-coach-george-raveling/
Studies reveal that #suicide is one of the second leading causes of death during the second and third decades of life. The same can partially be prevented by limiting accessibility to #suicide means
Surjith Karthikeyan
Le Suicidé, by Édouard Manet (1832-83); Buhrle Collection, Zurich, Switzerland. Wikimedia Commons
#Suicide is a common phenomenon all over the world. According to the #WorldHealthOrganisation (#WHO), every 40 seconds there is someone in the world who ends his or her life. The majority of the #suicides are related to psychiatric problems or #mentalillness. Various types of #mentalillness include inter alia #anxiety disorders, psychotic disorders, mood disorders, substance use disorders, personality disorders, and eating disorders. The other related reasons may be emotional issues, weak religious beliefs, family issues, disability, etc.
#Anxietydisorders are a part of #mentaldisorders characterised by significant feelings of #anxiety and fear which may result in problems of serious concern in their areas of life, such as social interactions, #school, and work. While psychotic disorders are severe disorders that cause abnormal thinking and perceptions that mainly affect the mind; mood disorders primarily affect a person’s emotional state, characterised by severe changes of a person’s mood (example, #depression, #bipolar).
Substance use disorder (SUD), also known as a drug use disorder, is the continuous use of drugs (including #alcohol) despite substantial harm and adverse consequences.
Personality disorder, on the other hand, is a way of thinking, feeling and behaving that deviates from the expectations of the culture, causing distress or problems functioning, and lasts over time.
An eating disorder is a #mentaldisorder defined by abnormal eating habits that negatively affect a person’s physical or #mentalhealth.
According to various studies, 20 million #women and 10 million #men in #America have an eating disorder at some point in their lives.
#JamesDonaldson notes:
Welcome to the “next chapter” of my life… being a voice and an advocate for #mentalhealthawarenessandsuicideprevention, especially pertaining to our younger generation of students and student-athletes.
Getting men to speak up and reach out for help and assistance is one of my passions. Us men need to not suffer in silence or drown our sorrows in alcohol, hang out at bars and strip joints, or get involved with drug use.
Having gone through a recent bout of #depression and #suicidalthoughts myself, I realize now, that I can make a huge difference in the lives of so many by sharing my story, and by sharing various resources I come across as I work in this space. #http://bit.ly/JamesMentalHealthArticle
Crude #suicide rates across world regions
Globally, the #suicide rates are decreasing, from 12.9 per 100,000 people in the year 2000 to 10.6 per 100,000 people in 2016. It is decreasing in all the regions except #Americas where it has increased from 8.3 in 2000 to 9.3 per 100,000 people in 2016.
The rates are generally high in the Europe region where it has reduced from 21.8 in 2000 to 15.4 in 2016. Eastern Mediterranean is the region where the suicide rates are generally low compared to other regions. It needs to be explored whether the same is due to under-reporting in this region.
India is included in the Southeast Asia region where the rate has reduced from 14.3 in 2000 to 13.2 in 2016. The figure below represents changes in the crude #suicide rates (per 100,000 people) in WHO region from 2000 to 2016.
Figure: Crude suicide rates (per 100,000 population) in WHO regionSource: WHO
Crude suicide rates across countries
The crude suicide rates are the highest in Lithuania to the tune of 31.9 per 100,000 people. India is in the 21st position among the WHO member countries with the highest number of #suicide rates in 2016. The other highest number of #suicide rates is in the Russian Federation, which has the second highest number, followed by Guyana, Republic of Korea, Belarus, Suriname, etc, as shown in the figure below which represents the countries having high crude #suicide rates per 100,000 people in 2016.
The developed countries with worst #suicide rates are in #France, #Switzerland and #Japan. In #Lithuania, #suicide rates are widely prevalent among the #ruralcommunities, and the weather there is extremely cold as also rainy all over the year. The #alcohol consumption among the people is also high in this region. This country has separated from the Russian Federation and people here had suffered during the oppression which was due to this separation. The #alcohol consumption indirectly leads to the deterioration in the living conditions of the people and thus the whole families in this region are affected due to this issue leading to extreme poverty in this region ultimately leading to increase in the number of #suicides.
Figure: Crude #suicide rates (per 100,000 population) in the year 2016Source: WHO
Crude #suicide rates in #India
The changes in the #suicide rates in #India for the last few years, especially from 2000 to 2016, lead one to interesting conclusions. As per the global trend, in India also, the crude #suicide rates have decreased from 17.4 per 100,000 people in 2000 to 16.3 per 100,000 in 2016.
The sex distribution of the same reveals that it is higher for #male compared to #female. It is 17.8 in 2016 compared to 18.6 in 2000 for #males and 14.7 in 2016 compared to 16 in 2000 for #females.
This trend is also similar to the global trend. The figure below represents the changes in the #suicide rates in #India for the last few years especially from year 2000 to 2016, showing an irregular declining trend. As #suicide is also a complex phenomenon, many of the same may not be fully reported, which may further increase the above figures.
Figure: Crude #suicide rates (per 100,000 population) in #India sex-wiseSource: WHO
The figure below represents the crude #suicide rates (per 100,000 people) in #India (10 year age groups) in the year 2016. In the age distribution, the #suicide rates are high for the age 20-29 years (30.3 per 100,000 people) and 80+ years (24.5 per 100,000 people). The #suicide rates are lowest for the age 10-19 years. As the age exceeds above 20-29 years, the #suicide rates also decreases.
Figure: Crude #suicide rates (per 100,000 population) WHO region for the year 2016 (10 year age groups)Source: WHO
After 60-69 years, the crude #suicide rates also increase. This is understood to be the general trend across the world. The reason may be the fact that 20-29 years is the crucial period which determines the life of a person and if a person is unsuccessful during this period, he may resort to #alcohol and #drug intake resulting in death of that person. Also, 70-79, 80+ years are the time in which a person is unable to do any work and may suffer from #depression and it may further worsen if his #children are not there to look after him.
Prevention and remedies
#Suicide is one of the major healthcare problems and thus should be given much importance. Studies reveal that #suicide is one of the second leading causes of death during the second and third decades of life. The same can partially be prevented by limiting accessibility to #suicide means.
The World #SuicidePrevention theme of this year is “Creating hope through action”. The suggested measures for #suicideprevention include reducing the treatment gap for #mentaldisorders, increasing the availability of #mentalhealth personnel, reducing the discriminatory attitude of health workers, promoting #mentalhealth infrastructure which involves mental hospitals, #mentalhealth units in general hospitals, #mentalhealth outpatient facilities, #mentalhealth day treatment facilities and community residential facilities. More counselling facilities especially in the rural areas, tele-medicine, internet and telephone-based helpline numbers, developing #mentalhealth apps are other aspects which may be considered.
A roadmap for #mentalhealthawareness may need to be created, encompassing conventional media, government programmes, educational system, industry, internet, #socialmedia and cell phones, and crowd-sourcing.
The writer serves as Deputy Secretary, Ministry of Finance. The views expressed are personal.
A collection of #Suicidepreventionhelpline numbers are available here. Please reach out if you or anyone you know is in need of support. The All-India helpline number is: 022-27546669
Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News,India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on #Facebook, #Twitter and #Instagram.
https://standingabovethecrowd.com/2022/02/jamesdonaldson-on-mentalhealth-every-40-seconds-someone-commits-suicide-heres-how-one-can-help-contain-the-silent-epidemic/
Surjith Karthikeyan
Le Suicidé, by Édouard Manet (1832-83); Buhrle Collection, Zurich, Switzerland. Wikimedia Commons
#Suicide is a common phenomenon all over the world. According to the #WorldHealthOrganisation (#WHO), every 40 seconds there is someone in the world who ends his or her life. The majority of the #suicides are related to psychiatric problems or #mentalillness. Various types of #mentalillness include inter alia #anxiety disorders, psychotic disorders, mood disorders, substance use disorders, personality disorders, and eating disorders. The other related reasons may be emotional issues, weak religious beliefs, family issues, disability, etc.
#Anxietydisorders are a part of #mentaldisorders characterised by significant feelings of #anxiety and fear which may result in problems of serious concern in their areas of life, such as social interactions, #school, and work. While psychotic disorders are severe disorders that cause abnormal thinking and perceptions that mainly affect the mind; mood disorders primarily affect a person’s emotional state, characterised by severe changes of a person’s mood (example, #depression, #bipolar).
Substance use disorder (SUD), also known as a drug use disorder, is the continuous use of drugs (including #alcohol) despite substantial harm and adverse consequences.
Personality disorder, on the other hand, is a way of thinking, feeling and behaving that deviates from the expectations of the culture, causing distress or problems functioning, and lasts over time.
An eating disorder is a #mentaldisorder defined by abnormal eating habits that negatively affect a person’s physical or #mentalhealth.
According to various studies, 20 million #women and 10 million #men in #America have an eating disorder at some point in their lives.
#JamesDonaldson notes:
Welcome to the “next chapter” of my life… being a voice and an advocate for #mentalhealthawarenessandsuicideprevention, especially pertaining to our younger generation of students and student-athletes.
Getting men to speak up and reach out for help and assistance is one of my passions. Us men need to not suffer in silence or drown our sorrows in alcohol, hang out at bars and strip joints, or get involved with drug use.
Having gone through a recent bout of #depression and #suicidalthoughts myself, I realize now, that I can make a huge difference in the lives of so many by sharing my story, and by sharing various resources I come across as I work in this space. #http://bit.ly/JamesMentalHealthArticle
Crude #suicide rates across world regions
Globally, the #suicide rates are decreasing, from 12.9 per 100,000 people in the year 2000 to 10.6 per 100,000 people in 2016. It is decreasing in all the regions except #Americas where it has increased from 8.3 in 2000 to 9.3 per 100,000 people in 2016.
The rates are generally high in the Europe region where it has reduced from 21.8 in 2000 to 15.4 in 2016. Eastern Mediterranean is the region where the suicide rates are generally low compared to other regions. It needs to be explored whether the same is due to under-reporting in this region.
India is included in the Southeast Asia region where the rate has reduced from 14.3 in 2000 to 13.2 in 2016. The figure below represents changes in the crude #suicide rates (per 100,000 people) in WHO region from 2000 to 2016.
Figure: Crude suicide rates (per 100,000 population) in WHO regionSource: WHO
Crude suicide rates across countries
The crude suicide rates are the highest in Lithuania to the tune of 31.9 per 100,000 people. India is in the 21st position among the WHO member countries with the highest number of #suicide rates in 2016. The other highest number of #suicide rates is in the Russian Federation, which has the second highest number, followed by Guyana, Republic of Korea, Belarus, Suriname, etc, as shown in the figure below which represents the countries having high crude #suicide rates per 100,000 people in 2016.
The developed countries with worst #suicide rates are in #France, #Switzerland and #Japan. In #Lithuania, #suicide rates are widely prevalent among the #ruralcommunities, and the weather there is extremely cold as also rainy all over the year. The #alcohol consumption among the people is also high in this region. This country has separated from the Russian Federation and people here had suffered during the oppression which was due to this separation. The #alcohol consumption indirectly leads to the deterioration in the living conditions of the people and thus the whole families in this region are affected due to this issue leading to extreme poverty in this region ultimately leading to increase in the number of #suicides.
Figure: Crude #suicide rates (per 100,000 population) in the year 2016Source: WHO
Crude #suicide rates in #India
The changes in the #suicide rates in #India for the last few years, especially from 2000 to 2016, lead one to interesting conclusions. As per the global trend, in India also, the crude #suicide rates have decreased from 17.4 per 100,000 people in 2000 to 16.3 per 100,000 in 2016.
The sex distribution of the same reveals that it is higher for #male compared to #female. It is 17.8 in 2016 compared to 18.6 in 2000 for #males and 14.7 in 2016 compared to 16 in 2000 for #females.
This trend is also similar to the global trend. The figure below represents the changes in the #suicide rates in #India for the last few years especially from year 2000 to 2016, showing an irregular declining trend. As #suicide is also a complex phenomenon, many of the same may not be fully reported, which may further increase the above figures.
Figure: Crude #suicide rates (per 100,000 population) in #India sex-wiseSource: WHO
The figure below represents the crude #suicide rates (per 100,000 people) in #India (10 year age groups) in the year 2016. In the age distribution, the #suicide rates are high for the age 20-29 years (30.3 per 100,000 people) and 80+ years (24.5 per 100,000 people). The #suicide rates are lowest for the age 10-19 years. As the age exceeds above 20-29 years, the #suicide rates also decreases.
Figure: Crude #suicide rates (per 100,000 population) WHO region for the year 2016 (10 year age groups)Source: WHO
After 60-69 years, the crude #suicide rates also increase. This is understood to be the general trend across the world. The reason may be the fact that 20-29 years is the crucial period which determines the life of a person and if a person is unsuccessful during this period, he may resort to #alcohol and #drug intake resulting in death of that person. Also, 70-79, 80+ years are the time in which a person is unable to do any work and may suffer from #depression and it may further worsen if his #children are not there to look after him.
Prevention and remedies
#Suicide is one of the major healthcare problems and thus should be given much importance. Studies reveal that #suicide is one of the second leading causes of death during the second and third decades of life. The same can partially be prevented by limiting accessibility to #suicide means.
The World #SuicidePrevention theme of this year is “Creating hope through action”. The suggested measures for #suicideprevention include reducing the treatment gap for #mentaldisorders, increasing the availability of #mentalhealth personnel, reducing the discriminatory attitude of health workers, promoting #mentalhealth infrastructure which involves mental hospitals, #mentalhealth units in general hospitals, #mentalhealth outpatient facilities, #mentalhealth day treatment facilities and community residential facilities. More counselling facilities especially in the rural areas, tele-medicine, internet and telephone-based helpline numbers, developing #mentalhealth apps are other aspects which may be considered.
A roadmap for #mentalhealthawareness may need to be created, encompassing conventional media, government programmes, educational system, industry, internet, #socialmedia and cell phones, and crowd-sourcing.
The writer serves as Deputy Secretary, Ministry of Finance. The views expressed are personal.
A collection of #Suicidepreventionhelpline numbers are available here. Please reach out if you or anyone you know is in need of support. The All-India helpline number is: 022-27546669
Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News,India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on #Facebook, #Twitter and #Instagram.
https://standingabovethecrowd.com/2022/02/jamesdonaldson-on-mentalhealth-every-40-seconds-someone-commits-suicide-heres-how-one-can-help-contain-the-silent-epidemic/
Saturday, February 5, 2022
Nellie Andreeva
#PeterRobbins, who voiced #CharlieBrown in the classic 1960s Peanuts cartoons, has died. The former actor died by #suicide last week, his family told San Diego’s Fox 5. He was 65.
Robbins (real name Louis G. Nanasi) was born in 1956 in #LosAngeles. He began acting in 1963 and was the first to play the Charles M. Schulz-created character of #CharlieBrown, including in such perennial holiday animated classics as A #CharlieBrown Christmas (1965) and It’s the Great Pumpkin, #CharlieBrown (1966).
#JamesDonaldson notes:
Welcome to the “next chapter” of my life… being a voice and an advocate for #mentalhealthawarenessandsuicideprevention, especially pertaining to our younger generation of students and student-athletes.
Getting men to speak up and reach out for help and assistance is one of my passions. Us men need to not suffer in silence or drown our sorrows in alcohol, hang out at bars and strip joints, or get involved with drug use.
Having gone through a recent bout of #depression and #suicidalthoughts myself, I realize now, that I can make a huge difference in the lives of so many by sharing my story, and by sharing various resources I come across as I work in this space. #http://bit.ly/JamesMentalHealthArticle
In addition to voicing #CharlieBrown for four years, Robbins recurred on the 1968 comedy Blondie and guest starred on such TV series as Rawhide, The Munsters, The Donna Reed Show, F Troop, Get Smart and My Three Sons. Robbins quit acting in 1972. For awhile, he worked as a DJ in Palm Springs.
Robbins, who suffered from #bipolardisorder, made headlines in 2015 when he was sentenced to five years for making threats to several people, including public figures. He was released in 2019.
https://standingabovethecrowd.com/2022/02/jamesdonaldson-on-mentalhealth-peterrobbins-dies-former-child-actor-who-voiced-charliebrown-was-65/
#PeterRobbins, who voiced #CharlieBrown in the classic 1960s Peanuts cartoons, has died. The former actor died by #suicide last week, his family told San Diego’s Fox 5. He was 65.
Robbins (real name Louis G. Nanasi) was born in 1956 in #LosAngeles. He began acting in 1963 and was the first to play the Charles M. Schulz-created character of #CharlieBrown, including in such perennial holiday animated classics as A #CharlieBrown Christmas (1965) and It’s the Great Pumpkin, #CharlieBrown (1966).
#JamesDonaldson notes:
Welcome to the “next chapter” of my life… being a voice and an advocate for #mentalhealthawarenessandsuicideprevention, especially pertaining to our younger generation of students and student-athletes.
Getting men to speak up and reach out for help and assistance is one of my passions. Us men need to not suffer in silence or drown our sorrows in alcohol, hang out at bars and strip joints, or get involved with drug use.
Having gone through a recent bout of #depression and #suicidalthoughts myself, I realize now, that I can make a huge difference in the lives of so many by sharing my story, and by sharing various resources I come across as I work in this space. #http://bit.ly/JamesMentalHealthArticle
In addition to voicing #CharlieBrown for four years, Robbins recurred on the 1968 comedy Blondie and guest starred on such TV series as Rawhide, The Munsters, The Donna Reed Show, F Troop, Get Smart and My Three Sons. Robbins quit acting in 1972. For awhile, he worked as a DJ in Palm Springs.
Robbins, who suffered from #bipolardisorder, made headlines in 2015 when he was sentenced to five years for making threats to several people, including public figures. He was released in 2019.
https://standingabovethecrowd.com/2022/02/jamesdonaldson-on-mentalhealth-peterrobbins-dies-former-child-actor-who-voiced-charliebrown-was-65/
Friday, February 4, 2022
Toronto funeral home owner Kamal Bhardwaj hopes to spur a conversation about these young people’s #mentalhealth through the founding of a new group.
By Nicholas Keung
Immigration Reporter
Tucked away in an expansive industrial park filled with factories and warehouses, a funeral home in north Toronto hosts a gathering of people to mourn the death of a young #internationalstudent from #India.
It’s the sixth death of an #internationalstudent the funeral home’s owner has seen in a month.
On this recent week night, more than 30 friends and “uncles” who knew the young man gathered for the visitation, everyone seated six feet apart in a sparse hall to bid farewell before his body would be flown back to his #parents in Dherdu, a village in the state of Haryana in #India.
Prince, 21, who only went by a single name, was last seen on Nov. 8 by his housemates — all #internationalstudents sharing a town house in Brampton. When he didn’t return home, they said, they called #police, who later found his drowned body near a beach in Bluffer’s Park in Scarborough.
“We’re all confused,” said one of his roommates at the visitation. “There wasn’t any reason for #suicide.”
Each year, about 4,000 people take their own lives in #Canada, but it’s not known how many of them are #internationalstudents or recent graduates.
Not all the deaths of #internationalstudents that Kamal Bhardwaj has seen at his two funeral homes — about five or six a month — are suicides but he says based on “visual observation of the bodies,” a good number of them appear to be #suicide deaths.
The alarming rate was enough of a concern to prompt him to reach out to others in the community to explore what’s happening with the #internationalstudents from #India, which is by far the No. 1 source country of Canada’s #internationalstudents.
“We’re not privy to the cause of death. It’s more of a visual observation. When we see a body, the trauma on a body, we’ll know that, yes, it looks like a #suicide,” said Bhardwaj, who owns the Lotus Funeral and Cremation Centre in Rexdale and Kitchener Funeral Home and Crematorium.
“It’s just something that I felt I needed to do (and see) what we can do to help these #students, which is just to look really into these issues that are going on.”
He reached out to the Punjabi Community Health Services in Brampton where he met the then president, Anupma Cvejic.
The two, along with another volunteer, Irwin Rego, decided to investigate further, and last summer they launched a #mentalhealthsupport group for #internationalstudents called Sunoh, which means “To Listen” in Hindi.
Through focus groups, they uncovered a slew of stressors and #mentalhealthchallenges faced by these young Indian #students who are here on their own, and whose #parents, in many cases, sold their properties and borrowed money to send them to #Canada for a better life.
“The amount of pressure put on them to send money back home to their #parents to cover the debt was one #stress. The second was to be able to work enough hours to pay the bills to continue in school to make sure they’re able to sustain themselves,” said Cvejic, who has a professional background in social work and community services.
“Being in this new country, they didn’t know about the law. One #student kept on talking about how she almost failed her course because there’s no such thing as plagiarism in #India.”
These young newcomers, already struggling in a new culture and a second language, also don’t know what their rights are and where to get help.
#Internationalstudents are not permanent residents and don’t qualify for many government-funded settlement services, while support services on school campuses sometimes are not sensitive to the intricacies of their cultural background or language needs, said Cvejic.
She heard from some #students who complained about being coerced into participating in insurance and financial scams, while others shared stories of abuse by landlords cramming them into small rooms and installing cameras to place them under surveillance.
Exploitation by employers is another issue, she said, with many of these young newcomers misinformed by consultants in #India to work under the table for cash and beyond the 20-hour work restrictions placed on study permit holders. Many get paid below minimum wages.
In a new study by Ryerson University human geography professor Sutama Ghosh, 30 #internationalstudents attending colleges in Greater Toronto were interviewed and almost all reported being “moderately to severely” food insecure.
While some of them regularly compromised on the quality and quantity of food they consumed, others said they often missed meals and had considerably reduced their food intake.
#JamesDonaldson notes:
Welcome to the “next chapter” of my life… being a voice and an advocate for #mentalhealthawarenessandsuicideprevention, especially pertaining to our younger generation of students and student-athletes.
Getting men to speak up and reach out for help and assistance is one of my passions. Us men need to not suffer in silence or drown our sorrows in alcohol, hang out at bars and strip joints, or get involved with drug use.
Having gone through a recent bout of #depression and #suicidalthoughts myself, I realize now, that I can make a huge difference in the lives of so many by sharing my story, and by sharing various resources I come across as I work in this space. #http://bit.ly/JamesMentalHealthArticle
“#Internationalstudents cannot seek government assistance, subsidized housing, or employment insurance due to their temporary status. Therefore, in general, most #internationalstudents are financially precarious,” said the report to be published in the academic journal The Canadian Geographer.
“They too worked in multiple temporary, part-time jobs and lived in shared accommodations, which profoundly affected their academic performance and overall health and well-being.”
A joint investigation by the Star and the St. Catharines Standard looked at the exponential growth of #internationalstudents in #Canada, especially in colleges. This influx has prompted concerns about whether the $26-billion international education system has become an immigration shortcut, a default migrant workers’ program and a money-making business rather than an opportunity for higher learning.
The number of #internationalstudents in #Canada has grown from 410,585 in 2016 to 638,960 in 2019 before it fell to 530,540 because of #COVID-19-related travel restrictions.
Neither these #students nor #Canada is prepared for the influx of #internationalstudents in the country, said Cvejic.
“This is a cash cow,” she said. “#Internationalstudents are providing an excess of money into our economy, but are they getting it back? They are getting sent back to #India in body bags.”
Sunoh trains current and former #internationalstudents as mentors, who support their peers — in Punjabi, Hindi, Urdu and Tamil — and refer them to professional help at other community partners such as the Punjabi Community Health Services and Indus Community Services.
Each month, Cvejic and volunteers also work with colleges and universities in #India to offer free webinars for #students looking to study in #Canada and their #parents to inform them of the reality in #Canada and educate them about tenants’ rights and employment laws here, as well as the basics about #mentalhealth.
Kamal Khehra, one of the #student peer mentors, came to Canada in January 2018 to attend a social service worker program at Fleming College in Peterborough, Ont. It was the first time she ever travelled outside #India, let alone be apart from her family and on her own.
The now 23-year-old said most of the #students get their information, sometimes misinformation, from their consultants, friends and relatives in #Canada who may not give a complete picture about studying and living in the country.
“I didn’t have anyone here and I was homesick,” said Khehra, whose family paid $32,000 for the tuition of her two-year program. “There’s no one you can depend on but yourself. It’s a steep learning curve.”
Khehra, who works as a recreational therapist at a retirement home and just received her permanent residence in September, said many #students are under tremendous pressure to complete their studies and pursue a work permit and ultimately permanent status in #Canada because the immigration dream of their whole family pins on them.
She has heard of #parents marrying their daughters to rich families, who will then pay for the education of the #girls here. The expectation is that once she graduates and has status, the husband and his family can then immigrate to Canada through the #girl.
“I’m concerned about the #internationalstudents’ mental well-being,” said Khehra.
People generally don’t talk enough about their #mentalhealthissues and it’s such a taboo for many immigrant communities, said Bhardwaj, the funeral home owner.
The #pandemic has created more problems for people’s education, employment and immigration plans, which have made life that much more difficult for #internationalstudents, whose status in Canada hinges on their studies and jobs, he said.
“People don’t want other people to know it’s a #suicide. They’d rather not have that information get out there,” said Bhardwaj. “We need to create a conversation and listen to what these #students are going through. #No parents should have to bury their child.”
Back at Prince’s memorial visitation, the boy’s uncle Rakesh Gollen was still looking for answers to his nephew’s death; he’s unconvinced that the young man would have taken his own life.
Gollen said Prince’s family got a $30,000 bank loan to send their son to study business administration at a college in Kitchener in 2017. Prince also worked as a painter in construction and as an Uber driver by night on a postgraduate work permit, Gollen said.
“I’m still in shock. There’s no indication he was in trouble,” said Gollen, who drove all the way from his home in New Jersey to make the funeral arrangements at the request of Prince’s parents back home.
“I am here to send him home so he can be with his family.”
Correction — Dec. 6, 2021: This article was updated to correct the spelling of the name Sunoh, a #mentalhealthsupport group for #internationalstudents.
If you are thinking of #suicide or know someone who is, there is help. Resources are available online at crisisservicescanada.ca or you can connect to the #nationalsuicidepreventionhelpline at 1-833-456-4566, or the Kids Help Phone at 1-800-668-6868.Nicholas Keung is a Toronto-based reporter covering immigration for the Star. Follow him on Twitter: @nkeung
https://standingabovethecrowd.com/2022/02/jamesdonaldson-on-mentalhealth-no-parents-should-have-to-bury-their-child-how-a-canadian-funeral-home-owner-is-trying-to-stop-suicides-among-internationalstudents/
By Nicholas Keung
Immigration Reporter
Tucked away in an expansive industrial park filled with factories and warehouses, a funeral home in north Toronto hosts a gathering of people to mourn the death of a young #internationalstudent from #India.
It’s the sixth death of an #internationalstudent the funeral home’s owner has seen in a month.
On this recent week night, more than 30 friends and “uncles” who knew the young man gathered for the visitation, everyone seated six feet apart in a sparse hall to bid farewell before his body would be flown back to his #parents in Dherdu, a village in the state of Haryana in #India.
Prince, 21, who only went by a single name, was last seen on Nov. 8 by his housemates — all #internationalstudents sharing a town house in Brampton. When he didn’t return home, they said, they called #police, who later found his drowned body near a beach in Bluffer’s Park in Scarborough.
“We’re all confused,” said one of his roommates at the visitation. “There wasn’t any reason for #suicide.”
Each year, about 4,000 people take their own lives in #Canada, but it’s not known how many of them are #internationalstudents or recent graduates.
Not all the deaths of #internationalstudents that Kamal Bhardwaj has seen at his two funeral homes — about five or six a month — are suicides but he says based on “visual observation of the bodies,” a good number of them appear to be #suicide deaths.
The alarming rate was enough of a concern to prompt him to reach out to others in the community to explore what’s happening with the #internationalstudents from #India, which is by far the No. 1 source country of Canada’s #internationalstudents.
“We’re not privy to the cause of death. It’s more of a visual observation. When we see a body, the trauma on a body, we’ll know that, yes, it looks like a #suicide,” said Bhardwaj, who owns the Lotus Funeral and Cremation Centre in Rexdale and Kitchener Funeral Home and Crematorium.
“It’s just something that I felt I needed to do (and see) what we can do to help these #students, which is just to look really into these issues that are going on.”
He reached out to the Punjabi Community Health Services in Brampton where he met the then president, Anupma Cvejic.
The two, along with another volunteer, Irwin Rego, decided to investigate further, and last summer they launched a #mentalhealthsupport group for #internationalstudents called Sunoh, which means “To Listen” in Hindi.
Through focus groups, they uncovered a slew of stressors and #mentalhealthchallenges faced by these young Indian #students who are here on their own, and whose #parents, in many cases, sold their properties and borrowed money to send them to #Canada for a better life.
“The amount of pressure put on them to send money back home to their #parents to cover the debt was one #stress. The second was to be able to work enough hours to pay the bills to continue in school to make sure they’re able to sustain themselves,” said Cvejic, who has a professional background in social work and community services.
“Being in this new country, they didn’t know about the law. One #student kept on talking about how she almost failed her course because there’s no such thing as plagiarism in #India.”
These young newcomers, already struggling in a new culture and a second language, also don’t know what their rights are and where to get help.
#Internationalstudents are not permanent residents and don’t qualify for many government-funded settlement services, while support services on school campuses sometimes are not sensitive to the intricacies of their cultural background or language needs, said Cvejic.
She heard from some #students who complained about being coerced into participating in insurance and financial scams, while others shared stories of abuse by landlords cramming them into small rooms and installing cameras to place them under surveillance.
Exploitation by employers is another issue, she said, with many of these young newcomers misinformed by consultants in #India to work under the table for cash and beyond the 20-hour work restrictions placed on study permit holders. Many get paid below minimum wages.
In a new study by Ryerson University human geography professor Sutama Ghosh, 30 #internationalstudents attending colleges in Greater Toronto were interviewed and almost all reported being “moderately to severely” food insecure.
While some of them regularly compromised on the quality and quantity of food they consumed, others said they often missed meals and had considerably reduced their food intake.
#JamesDonaldson notes:
Welcome to the “next chapter” of my life… being a voice and an advocate for #mentalhealthawarenessandsuicideprevention, especially pertaining to our younger generation of students and student-athletes.
Getting men to speak up and reach out for help and assistance is one of my passions. Us men need to not suffer in silence or drown our sorrows in alcohol, hang out at bars and strip joints, or get involved with drug use.
Having gone through a recent bout of #depression and #suicidalthoughts myself, I realize now, that I can make a huge difference in the lives of so many by sharing my story, and by sharing various resources I come across as I work in this space. #http://bit.ly/JamesMentalHealthArticle
“#Internationalstudents cannot seek government assistance, subsidized housing, or employment insurance due to their temporary status. Therefore, in general, most #internationalstudents are financially precarious,” said the report to be published in the academic journal The Canadian Geographer.
“They too worked in multiple temporary, part-time jobs and lived in shared accommodations, which profoundly affected their academic performance and overall health and well-being.”
A joint investigation by the Star and the St. Catharines Standard looked at the exponential growth of #internationalstudents in #Canada, especially in colleges. This influx has prompted concerns about whether the $26-billion international education system has become an immigration shortcut, a default migrant workers’ program and a money-making business rather than an opportunity for higher learning.
The number of #internationalstudents in #Canada has grown from 410,585 in 2016 to 638,960 in 2019 before it fell to 530,540 because of #COVID-19-related travel restrictions.
Neither these #students nor #Canada is prepared for the influx of #internationalstudents in the country, said Cvejic.
“This is a cash cow,” she said. “#Internationalstudents are providing an excess of money into our economy, but are they getting it back? They are getting sent back to #India in body bags.”
Sunoh trains current and former #internationalstudents as mentors, who support their peers — in Punjabi, Hindi, Urdu and Tamil — and refer them to professional help at other community partners such as the Punjabi Community Health Services and Indus Community Services.
Each month, Cvejic and volunteers also work with colleges and universities in #India to offer free webinars for #students looking to study in #Canada and their #parents to inform them of the reality in #Canada and educate them about tenants’ rights and employment laws here, as well as the basics about #mentalhealth.
Kamal Khehra, one of the #student peer mentors, came to Canada in January 2018 to attend a social service worker program at Fleming College in Peterborough, Ont. It was the first time she ever travelled outside #India, let alone be apart from her family and on her own.
The now 23-year-old said most of the #students get their information, sometimes misinformation, from their consultants, friends and relatives in #Canada who may not give a complete picture about studying and living in the country.
“I didn’t have anyone here and I was homesick,” said Khehra, whose family paid $32,000 for the tuition of her two-year program. “There’s no one you can depend on but yourself. It’s a steep learning curve.”
Khehra, who works as a recreational therapist at a retirement home and just received her permanent residence in September, said many #students are under tremendous pressure to complete their studies and pursue a work permit and ultimately permanent status in #Canada because the immigration dream of their whole family pins on them.
She has heard of #parents marrying their daughters to rich families, who will then pay for the education of the #girls here. The expectation is that once she graduates and has status, the husband and his family can then immigrate to Canada through the #girl.
“I’m concerned about the #internationalstudents’ mental well-being,” said Khehra.
People generally don’t talk enough about their #mentalhealthissues and it’s such a taboo for many immigrant communities, said Bhardwaj, the funeral home owner.
The #pandemic has created more problems for people’s education, employment and immigration plans, which have made life that much more difficult for #internationalstudents, whose status in Canada hinges on their studies and jobs, he said.
“People don’t want other people to know it’s a #suicide. They’d rather not have that information get out there,” said Bhardwaj. “We need to create a conversation and listen to what these #students are going through. #No parents should have to bury their child.”
Back at Prince’s memorial visitation, the boy’s uncle Rakesh Gollen was still looking for answers to his nephew’s death; he’s unconvinced that the young man would have taken his own life.
Gollen said Prince’s family got a $30,000 bank loan to send their son to study business administration at a college in Kitchener in 2017. Prince also worked as a painter in construction and as an Uber driver by night on a postgraduate work permit, Gollen said.
“I’m still in shock. There’s no indication he was in trouble,” said Gollen, who drove all the way from his home in New Jersey to make the funeral arrangements at the request of Prince’s parents back home.
“I am here to send him home so he can be with his family.”
Correction — Dec. 6, 2021: This article was updated to correct the spelling of the name Sunoh, a #mentalhealthsupport group for #internationalstudents.
If you are thinking of #suicide or know someone who is, there is help. Resources are available online at crisisservicescanada.ca or you can connect to the #nationalsuicidepreventionhelpline at 1-833-456-4566, or the Kids Help Phone at 1-800-668-6868.Nicholas Keung is a Toronto-based reporter covering immigration for the Star. Follow him on Twitter: @nkeung
https://standingabovethecrowd.com/2022/02/jamesdonaldson-on-mentalhealth-no-parents-should-have-to-bury-their-child-how-a-canadian-funeral-home-owner-is-trying-to-stop-suicides-among-internationalstudents/
Toronto funeral home owner Kamal Bhardwaj hopes to spur a conversation about these young people’s #mentalhealth through the founding of a new group.
By Nicholas Keung
Immigration Reporter
Tucked away in an expansive industrial park filled with factories and warehouses, a funeral home in north Toronto hosts a gathering of people to mourn the death of a young #internationalstudent from #India.
It’s the sixth death of an #internationalstudent the funeral home’s owner has seen in a month.
On this recent week night, more than 30 friends and “uncles” who knew the young man gathered for the visitation, everyone seated six feet apart in a sparse hall to bid farewell before his body would be flown back to his #parents in Dherdu, a village in the state of Haryana in #India.
Prince, 21, who only went by a single name, was last seen on Nov. 8 by his housemates — all #internationalstudents sharing a town house in Brampton. When he didn’t return home, they said, they called #police, who later found his drowned body near a beach in Bluffer’s Park in Scarborough.
“We’re all confused,” said one of his roommates at the visitation. “There wasn’t any reason for #suicide.”
Each year, about 4,000 people take their own lives in #Canada, but it’s not known how many of them are #internationalstudents or recent graduates.
Not all the deaths of #internationalstudents that Kamal Bhardwaj has seen at his two funeral homes — about five or six a month — are suicides but he says based on “visual observation of the bodies,” a good number of them appear to be #suicide deaths.
The alarming rate was enough of a concern to prompt him to reach out to others in the community to explore what’s happening with the #internationalstudents from #India, which is by far the No. 1 source country of Canada’s #internationalstudents.
“We’re not privy to the cause of death. It’s more of a visual observation. When we see a body, the trauma on a body, we’ll know that, yes, it looks like a #suicide,” said Bhardwaj, who owns the Lotus Funeral and Cremation Centre in Rexdale and Kitchener Funeral Home and Crematorium.
“It’s just something that I felt I needed to do (and see) what we can do to help these #students, which is just to look really into these issues that are going on.”
He reached out to the Punjabi Community Health Services in Brampton where he met the then president, Anupma Cvejic.
The two, along with another volunteer, Irwin Rego, decided to investigate further, and last summer they launched a #mentalhealthsupport group for #internationalstudents called Sunoh, which means “To Listen” in Hindi.
Through focus groups, they uncovered a slew of stressors and #mentalhealthchallenges faced by these young Indian #students who are here on their own, and whose #parents, in many cases, sold their properties and borrowed money to send them to #Canada for a better life.
“The amount of pressure put on them to send money back home to their #parents to cover the debt was one #stress. The second was to be able to work enough hours to pay the bills to continue in school to make sure they’re able to sustain themselves,” said Cvejic, who has a professional background in social work and community services.
“Being in this new country, they didn’t know about the law. One #student kept on talking about how she almost failed her course because there’s no such thing as plagiarism in #India.”
These young newcomers, already struggling in a new culture and a second language, also don’t know what their rights are and where to get help.
#Internationalstudents are not permanent residents and don’t qualify for many government-funded settlement services, while support services on school campuses sometimes are not sensitive to the intricacies of their cultural background or language needs, said Cvejic.
She heard from some #students who complained about being coerced into participating in insurance and financial scams, while others shared stories of abuse by landlords cramming them into small rooms and installing cameras to place them under surveillance.
Exploitation by employers is another issue, she said, with many of these young newcomers misinformed by consultants in #India to work under the table for cash and beyond the 20-hour work restrictions placed on study permit holders. Many get paid below minimum wages.
In a new study by Ryerson University human geography professor Sutama Ghosh, 30 #internationalstudents attending colleges in Greater Toronto were interviewed and almost all reported being “moderately to severely” food insecure.
While some of them regularly compromised on the quality and quantity of food they consumed, others said they often missed meals and had considerably reduced their food intake.
#JamesDonaldson notes:
Welcome to the “next chapter” of my life… being a voice and an advocate for #mentalhealthawarenessandsuicideprevention, especially pertaining to our younger generation of students and student-athletes.
Getting men to speak up and reach out for help and assistance is one of my passions. Us men need to not suffer in silence or drown our sorrows in alcohol, hang out at bars and strip joints, or get involved with drug use.
Having gone through a recent bout of #depression and #suicidalthoughts myself, I realize now, that I can make a huge difference in the lives of so many by sharing my story, and by sharing various resources I come across as I work in this space. #http://bit.ly/JamesMentalHealthArticle
“#Internationalstudents cannot seek government assistance, subsidized housing, or employment insurance due to their temporary status. Therefore, in general, most #internationalstudents are financially precarious,” said the report to be published in the academic journal The Canadian Geographer.
“They too worked in multiple temporary, part-time jobs and lived in shared accommodations, which profoundly affected their academic performance and overall health and well-being.”
A joint investigation by the Star and the St. Catharines Standard looked at the exponential growth of #internationalstudents in #Canada, especially in colleges. This influx has prompted concerns about whether the $26-billion international education system has become an immigration shortcut, a default migrant workers’ program and a money-making business rather than an opportunity for higher learning.
The number of #internationalstudents in #Canada has grown from 410,585 in 2016 to 638,960 in 2019 before it fell to 530,540 because of #COVID-19-related travel restrictions.
Neither these #students nor #Canada is prepared for the influx of #internationalstudents in the country, said Cvejic.
“This is a cash cow,” she said. “#Internationalstudents are providing an excess of money into our economy, but are they getting it back? They are getting sent back to #India in body bags.”
Sunoh trains current and former #internationalstudents as mentors, who support their peers — in Punjabi, Hindi, Urdu and Tamil — and refer them to professional help at other community partners such as the Punjabi Community Health Services and Indus Community Services.
Each month, Cvejic and volunteers also work with colleges and universities in #India to offer free webinars for #students looking to study in #Canada and their #parents to inform them of the reality in #Canada and educate them about tenants’ rights and employment laws here, as well as the basics about #mentalhealth.
Kamal Khehra, one of the #student peer mentors, came to Canada in January 2018 to attend a social service worker program at Fleming College in Peterborough, Ont. It was the first time she ever travelled outside #India, let alone be apart from her family and on her own.
The now 23-year-old said most of the #students get their information, sometimes misinformation, from their consultants, friends and relatives in #Canada who may not give a complete picture about studying and living in the country.
“I didn’t have anyone here and I was homesick,” said Khehra, whose family paid $32,000 for the tuition of her two-year program. “There’s no one you can depend on but yourself. It’s a steep learning curve.”
Khehra, who works as a recreational therapist at a retirement home and just received her permanent residence in September, said many #students are under tremendous pressure to complete their studies and pursue a work permit and ultimately permanent status in #Canada because the immigration dream of their whole family pins on them.
She has heard of #parents marrying their daughters to rich families, who will then pay for the education of the #girls here. The expectation is that once she graduates and has status, the husband and his family can then immigrate to Canada through the #girl.
“I’m concerned about the #internationalstudents’ mental well-being,” said Khehra.
People generally don’t talk enough about their #mentalhealthissues and it’s such a taboo for many immigrant communities, said Bhardwaj, the funeral home owner.
The #pandemic has created more problems for people’s education, employment and immigration plans, which have made life that much more difficult for #internationalstudents, whose status in Canada hinges on their studies and jobs, he said.
“People don’t want other people to know it’s a #suicide. They’d rather not have that information get out there,” said Bhardwaj. “We need to create a conversation and listen to what these #students are going through. #No parents should have to bury their child.”
Back at Prince’s memorial visitation, the boy’s uncle Rakesh Gollen was still looking for answers to his nephew’s death; he’s unconvinced that the young man would have taken his own life.
Gollen said Prince’s family got a $30,000 bank loan to send their son to study business administration at a college in Kitchener in 2017. Prince also worked as a painter in construction and as an Uber driver by night on a postgraduate work permit, Gollen said.
“I’m still in shock. There’s no indication he was in trouble,” said Gollen, who drove all the way from his home in New Jersey to make the funeral arrangements at the request of Prince’s parents back home.
“I am here to send him home so he can be with his family.”
Correction — Dec. 6, 2021: This article was updated to correct the spelling of the name Sunoh, a #mentalhealthsupport group for #internationalstudents.
If you are thinking of #suicide or know someone who is, there is help. Resources are available online at crisisservicescanada.ca or you can connect to the #nationalsuicidepreventionhelpline at 1-833-456-4566, or the Kids Help Phone at 1-800-668-6868.Nicholas Keung is a Toronto-based reporter covering immigration for the Star. Follow him on Twitter: @nkeung
https://standingabovethecrowd.com/2022/02/jamesdonaldson-on-mentalhealth-no-parents-should-have-to-bury-their-child-how-a-canadian-funeral-home-owner-is-trying-to-stop-suicides-among-internationalstudents/
By Nicholas Keung
Immigration Reporter
Tucked away in an expansive industrial park filled with factories and warehouses, a funeral home in north Toronto hosts a gathering of people to mourn the death of a young #internationalstudent from #India.
It’s the sixth death of an #internationalstudent the funeral home’s owner has seen in a month.
On this recent week night, more than 30 friends and “uncles” who knew the young man gathered for the visitation, everyone seated six feet apart in a sparse hall to bid farewell before his body would be flown back to his #parents in Dherdu, a village in the state of Haryana in #India.
Prince, 21, who only went by a single name, was last seen on Nov. 8 by his housemates — all #internationalstudents sharing a town house in Brampton. When he didn’t return home, they said, they called #police, who later found his drowned body near a beach in Bluffer’s Park in Scarborough.
“We’re all confused,” said one of his roommates at the visitation. “There wasn’t any reason for #suicide.”
Each year, about 4,000 people take their own lives in #Canada, but it’s not known how many of them are #internationalstudents or recent graduates.
Not all the deaths of #internationalstudents that Kamal Bhardwaj has seen at his two funeral homes — about five or six a month — are suicides but he says based on “visual observation of the bodies,” a good number of them appear to be #suicide deaths.
The alarming rate was enough of a concern to prompt him to reach out to others in the community to explore what’s happening with the #internationalstudents from #India, which is by far the No. 1 source country of Canada’s #internationalstudents.
“We’re not privy to the cause of death. It’s more of a visual observation. When we see a body, the trauma on a body, we’ll know that, yes, it looks like a #suicide,” said Bhardwaj, who owns the Lotus Funeral and Cremation Centre in Rexdale and Kitchener Funeral Home and Crematorium.
“It’s just something that I felt I needed to do (and see) what we can do to help these #students, which is just to look really into these issues that are going on.”
He reached out to the Punjabi Community Health Services in Brampton where he met the then president, Anupma Cvejic.
The two, along with another volunteer, Irwin Rego, decided to investigate further, and last summer they launched a #mentalhealthsupport group for #internationalstudents called Sunoh, which means “To Listen” in Hindi.
Through focus groups, they uncovered a slew of stressors and #mentalhealthchallenges faced by these young Indian #students who are here on their own, and whose #parents, in many cases, sold their properties and borrowed money to send them to #Canada for a better life.
“The amount of pressure put on them to send money back home to their #parents to cover the debt was one #stress. The second was to be able to work enough hours to pay the bills to continue in school to make sure they’re able to sustain themselves,” said Cvejic, who has a professional background in social work and community services.
“Being in this new country, they didn’t know about the law. One #student kept on talking about how she almost failed her course because there’s no such thing as plagiarism in #India.”
These young newcomers, already struggling in a new culture and a second language, also don’t know what their rights are and where to get help.
#Internationalstudents are not permanent residents and don’t qualify for many government-funded settlement services, while support services on school campuses sometimes are not sensitive to the intricacies of their cultural background or language needs, said Cvejic.
She heard from some #students who complained about being coerced into participating in insurance and financial scams, while others shared stories of abuse by landlords cramming them into small rooms and installing cameras to place them under surveillance.
Exploitation by employers is another issue, she said, with many of these young newcomers misinformed by consultants in #India to work under the table for cash and beyond the 20-hour work restrictions placed on study permit holders. Many get paid below minimum wages.
In a new study by Ryerson University human geography professor Sutama Ghosh, 30 #internationalstudents attending colleges in Greater Toronto were interviewed and almost all reported being “moderately to severely” food insecure.
While some of them regularly compromised on the quality and quantity of food they consumed, others said they often missed meals and had considerably reduced their food intake.
#JamesDonaldson notes:
Welcome to the “next chapter” of my life… being a voice and an advocate for #mentalhealthawarenessandsuicideprevention, especially pertaining to our younger generation of students and student-athletes.
Getting men to speak up and reach out for help and assistance is one of my passions. Us men need to not suffer in silence or drown our sorrows in alcohol, hang out at bars and strip joints, or get involved with drug use.
Having gone through a recent bout of #depression and #suicidalthoughts myself, I realize now, that I can make a huge difference in the lives of so many by sharing my story, and by sharing various resources I come across as I work in this space. #http://bit.ly/JamesMentalHealthArticle
“#Internationalstudents cannot seek government assistance, subsidized housing, or employment insurance due to their temporary status. Therefore, in general, most #internationalstudents are financially precarious,” said the report to be published in the academic journal The Canadian Geographer.
“They too worked in multiple temporary, part-time jobs and lived in shared accommodations, which profoundly affected their academic performance and overall health and well-being.”
A joint investigation by the Star and the St. Catharines Standard looked at the exponential growth of #internationalstudents in #Canada, especially in colleges. This influx has prompted concerns about whether the $26-billion international education system has become an immigration shortcut, a default migrant workers’ program and a money-making business rather than an opportunity for higher learning.
The number of #internationalstudents in #Canada has grown from 410,585 in 2016 to 638,960 in 2019 before it fell to 530,540 because of #COVID-19-related travel restrictions.
Neither these #students nor #Canada is prepared for the influx of #internationalstudents in the country, said Cvejic.
“This is a cash cow,” she said. “#Internationalstudents are providing an excess of money into our economy, but are they getting it back? They are getting sent back to #India in body bags.”
Sunoh trains current and former #internationalstudents as mentors, who support their peers — in Punjabi, Hindi, Urdu and Tamil — and refer them to professional help at other community partners such as the Punjabi Community Health Services and Indus Community Services.
Each month, Cvejic and volunteers also work with colleges and universities in #India to offer free webinars for #students looking to study in #Canada and their #parents to inform them of the reality in #Canada and educate them about tenants’ rights and employment laws here, as well as the basics about #mentalhealth.
Kamal Khehra, one of the #student peer mentors, came to Canada in January 2018 to attend a social service worker program at Fleming College in Peterborough, Ont. It was the first time she ever travelled outside #India, let alone be apart from her family and on her own.
The now 23-year-old said most of the #students get their information, sometimes misinformation, from their consultants, friends and relatives in #Canada who may not give a complete picture about studying and living in the country.
“I didn’t have anyone here and I was homesick,” said Khehra, whose family paid $32,000 for the tuition of her two-year program. “There’s no one you can depend on but yourself. It’s a steep learning curve.”
Khehra, who works as a recreational therapist at a retirement home and just received her permanent residence in September, said many #students are under tremendous pressure to complete their studies and pursue a work permit and ultimately permanent status in #Canada because the immigration dream of their whole family pins on them.
She has heard of #parents marrying their daughters to rich families, who will then pay for the education of the #girls here. The expectation is that once she graduates and has status, the husband and his family can then immigrate to Canada through the #girl.
“I’m concerned about the #internationalstudents’ mental well-being,” said Khehra.
People generally don’t talk enough about their #mentalhealthissues and it’s such a taboo for many immigrant communities, said Bhardwaj, the funeral home owner.
The #pandemic has created more problems for people’s education, employment and immigration plans, which have made life that much more difficult for #internationalstudents, whose status in Canada hinges on their studies and jobs, he said.
“People don’t want other people to know it’s a #suicide. They’d rather not have that information get out there,” said Bhardwaj. “We need to create a conversation and listen to what these #students are going through. #No parents should have to bury their child.”
Back at Prince’s memorial visitation, the boy’s uncle Rakesh Gollen was still looking for answers to his nephew’s death; he’s unconvinced that the young man would have taken his own life.
Gollen said Prince’s family got a $30,000 bank loan to send their son to study business administration at a college in Kitchener in 2017. Prince also worked as a painter in construction and as an Uber driver by night on a postgraduate work permit, Gollen said.
“I’m still in shock. There’s no indication he was in trouble,” said Gollen, who drove all the way from his home in New Jersey to make the funeral arrangements at the request of Prince’s parents back home.
“I am here to send him home so he can be with his family.”
Correction — Dec. 6, 2021: This article was updated to correct the spelling of the name Sunoh, a #mentalhealthsupport group for #internationalstudents.
If you are thinking of #suicide or know someone who is, there is help. Resources are available online at crisisservicescanada.ca or you can connect to the #nationalsuicidepreventionhelpline at 1-833-456-4566, or the Kids Help Phone at 1-800-668-6868.Nicholas Keung is a Toronto-based reporter covering immigration for the Star. Follow him on Twitter: @nkeung
https://standingabovethecrowd.com/2022/02/jamesdonaldson-on-mentalhealth-no-parents-should-have-to-bury-their-child-how-a-canadian-funeral-home-owner-is-trying-to-stop-suicides-among-internationalstudents/
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