By Candyce Scott
Peace and love this is Alderwoman Candyce Scott, and I am thrilled to report that the Mental Health Awareness Year is off to a good start. We have been prioritizing mental health and want to share some of the accomplishments we have made with Education and Environmental improvements, Cultural Awareness, Safety and Sexual Assault Awareness Month, Fun Activities, with you as we look to future endeavors
Education: The journey began with my unwavering conviction that has driven my unrelenting pursuit of education and positive meaningful experiences for our young people with a field trip for our New Britain High School students over the past few years. It is vital for our children to be given opportunities to improve self-esteem and provide hope. I would like to extend my sincerest gratitude to Mayor Bobby Sanchez and State Representative Manny Sanchez for their unwavering support in making this trip a reality! I was truly a momentous day. I felt deeply humbled to have the privilege of accompanying the New Britain High School students on a visit to the Capital! A good time was had by all until our next adventure.
Environmental Improvements: Our earth and environment directly impact on our thinking and mental health. As a result, I was compelled to directly work on cleaning up our city for Earth Day. What truly inspiring is Earth Day cleans up because for too long Ward 3 has been neglected but we are raising up and revitalizing our community! I want to thank you all for coming, volunteering, and donating! I want to give a special Shut out to: Lead, Luis, Write to Rise, Romas Pizza, Med’s Deli, New Britain Youth Prevention, The Police Explores, NRZ, Mayor Sanchez, Richard Marzi, Mark Moriarty, Alderman Simpson, Alderman Centeno, Alderwoman McNamara, Rick Lopes, Iris from Lead, Elizabeth, everyone else who helped!
Culture Awareness: Culture and celebrating our differences are vital to learning to respect all human beings. This is mental health with possible cultural experiences. I want to than CCSU for inviting me to share the resolution for Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month! It is always a profound privilege to uplift culture together! I also had honored me to have the incredibly uplifting experience of delivering the opening remarks and present a well-deserved proclamation for the AAPI Heritage Celebration at the New Britain Museum of American Art!
Safety and Sexual Assault Awareness Month: I proudly presented a proclamation to SACS for their truly inspiring, life-changing work empowering survivors, educating our community, and preventing sexual violence! We are deeply grateful for all that you do Sexual Assault Awareness Month, CCSU’s Women’s Center’s Take Back the Night event and Walk in Her Shoes Event at CCSU.
Fun Mental Health Events: We hosted 2 Paint to Heal and Write to Rise events for our community in honor of the Mental Health initiative. These were both incredibly uplifting evenings we shared at our inaugural Mental Health Awareness Event! I’m truly ecstatic that we could unite through Express Art, discover a powerful visualization technique, and most importantly, cherish precious moments together! As we continue to educate and make mental health a priority in our community! Thank everyone for participating, the Lead Program, and most importantly Luis Malave Write and Rise! I
Future Goals: Cultural events that are coming up will be Juneteenth, Caribbean Heritage Month.
Fun Mental Health Event: Write to Rise Author Event June and a Paint to Heal and Write to Raise Part 3 will be coming soon at 115 West Main St.
Pride Month so remember love will always win. Peace and Love always!
