UB and California Baptist University spearhead international mental health and wellness conference for Belize

Contributed: The University of Belize (UB) has partnered with California Baptist University (CBU), Division of Social work to bring the very first International Mental Health and Wellness Conference to Belize. The two pioneers of this conference are UB Professor and Chair of Social Work Department Azalia Larrieu, current doctoral student and Dr. Kendra Flores-Carter, an Associate Professor and Researcher at CBU in Riverside California. Conference main objectives is to discuss mental health and wellness concerns on a local level and discuss the impact this issue have on overall community wellbeing in Belize. Additionally, to identify relevant and practical best practices that address mental health issues with a focus on improving outcomes and mental health education as well as resources for the community.  

The goal of this conference is to connect social service providers, schoolteachers and leaders, politicians and policymakers, law enforcement, business owners, CEO and mental health providers in Belize and abroad to unify and lead a much-needed mental health movement for the people in Belize and around the world who’s suffering. We know that one in five people will suffer from a mental health issue in their lifetime. Look in the room you are currently in if there’s five people one of you may be currently suffering, have suffered or will suffer from a mental health issue at some point in your life. This is the main reason Azalia and Dr. Flores-Carter partnered to do this conference. Collectively we see the mental health crisis faced by the Belizean community daily and want to offer solutions which is why we are bringing in the experts from Belize as well as the United States, we’ve even had speaker inquiries from Africa and the UK. 

Our speakers are well-renowned and sought after experts in their fields. At the conference we have speakers presenting workshops on gender-based violence in the household and how that impacts the family’s mental health, suicide risk factors and prevention for law enforcement and military personnel, gang violence and mental health, child welfare systems and mental health, school-based mental health for students and teachers, homelessness and mental health, women’s and men’s mental health. Dr. Carol Babb who is well known in Belize will be presenting a workshop on financial stressors and mental health. We know that poverty is significantly associated with mental health, so this topic is very important. We have daughter of civil rights leaders Malcolm X and Betty Shabazz Ambassador Attallah Shabazz who is one of our Keynote speakers addressing emotional wellness and nutrition. We also have Reverend Dr. Charles Lee-Johnson who will speak specifically to men’s mental health and how their mental health is vital to family’s overall well-being. 

If you are a business owner this is also a space, we encourage you to be in simple because several of your employees may be suffering from mental health concerns. You may be looking at increasing productivity with your employee. We will be discussing ways to help recognize when employees are experiencing stress and burnout and how you can help them improve. 

The goal of this conference is to help make a collective impact in healing others in crisis. There’s no greater time than now to invest in mental education, awareness, and resources. This is a two-day conference starting on May 3rd, culminating with a cultural gala on Saturday May 4th. We would like you to join us in healing our nation and making a collective impact to help others have better life outcomes as well as live full functioning lives because we all should have the ability to always experience joy and happiness regardless of our social conditions. With help everyone who suffers from mental health issues could get well. All proceeds of this conference will go towards University of Belize Scholarship for social work students. 

Please reach out to Professor Azalia Larrieu, [email protected] or Dr. Kendra Flores-Carter, [email protected] at the University of Belize for details on how to get registered.  

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