BRAC Hope Festival
While we prioritize physical health by treating physical ailments and taking regular care of our bodies, the importance of mental health care is often overlooked. Many people are now recognizing that mental health is just as crucial as physical health, and that both adults and children require it.
Child therapist Mostak Imran from Brac IED stated, “Children want to play and enjoy their childhood through games and stories, but they often don’t get the opportunity. With the rise of device addiction, it’s essential to provide them with a chance to play in various festivals and environments, which doesn’t require a lot of money.”
During Brac’s 50-year march, the three-day ‘Hope Festival’ took place from 9 February at the Army Stadium in the capital city.
The festival’s themes, including ‘Bangladesh in the Heart,’ ‘Possibilities of Possibilities,’ and ‘The World We Want to Build,’ aimed to engage and inspire children.
However, people of all ages, including many parents, were excited to relive the pure joy of childhood. Anisha, a young spectator, exclaimed, “Many adults participated with me, and we all felt like we were the same age; we were equals.”
Participating in the Hope Festival, the Brac Institute of Educational Development (Brac IED) celebrated its 50 years of inspiring stories and spread the message to the public about the significance of mental health care for everyday life.
According to Brac IED psychologist Nusrat Jahan, taking care of mental health is crucial for people of all ages, including children and even expectant mothers. In mental health development workshops, experts advised that controlling one’s mind is key to managing anger and stress and expressing emotions appropriately in social situations.
The Hope Festival, organised by Brac as part of its 50th-anniversary celebration, included workshops around the ‘Mind Tree’ to educate attendees about the positive and negative aspects of the mind, and to provide guidance on maintaining good mental health.
The event featured an open discussion on topics such as healthy parenting, stress management, and anger management.
Brac IED has been working since 2013 to improve mental health across the country through nearly 700 para-counselors, who provide mental health support to children, adolescents, and parents.
Child psychiatrist Taifur Islam said that the organization is organizing short courses to raise awareness of mental health care and help people develop as psychosocial supporters.
