Please sponsor my climb:  https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/harjitkdhillon

I am part of the 1st exclusively south Asian women group setting out to climb the worlds tallest free standing mountain, Mount Kilimanjaro .

We will be joined by an award winning film crew to document the journey. The feature film will follow the group from training in the UK through to the climb in Tanzania, all the while delving into the themes of representation, identity, breaking boundaries, and everyday acts of courage, sharing intimate interviews with the team. #climbkiliwithawmb

While the trip is a self funded bucket list venture. I could not pass the opportunity to raise money for a cause that is so close to my heart. The aim of Sikh Your Mind is to increase awareness of mental health difficulties in the Sikh community.

For far too long mental health difficulties have been undetected for a number of reasons. Research indicates that this may be due to a lack of awareness and knowledge with mental health difficulties as well as uncertainty about the services that are available. Mental and physical well-being go hand in hand.

Sikh Your Mind hopes to improve the community’s understanding of a variety of mental health difficulties from depression to anxiety and dementia. Alongside this they work to provide a better understanding of NHS, private and voluntary sector services (in your area) to better equip you should anyone require support currently or in the future.

To make fully informed decisions about yours or a loved one’s health you need to be equipped with information and this is what Sikh Your Mind hopes to provide.

Having volunteered with Sikh Your Mind for the last few years, I feel honoured and privileged to see the impact they have on the community, a community that struggles to talk about mental health because of the taboo nature of it.

Climbing Kilimanjaro will not only be a physical feat but mostly a mental feat for me! As such this adventure will really push through my mental strength and resilience. The training already for this has challenged me and I am constantly repeating "mind over matter"! I am so grateful and privileged with all the support I have around me, friends, family, co-workers etc. Everything I have been doing in preparation for this climb has highlighted the benefit of having a strong community who you can turn to talk about your mental state, with no judgement and just love and support. My wish would be that everyone could get this level of support.

Together I hope we can make a difference with real care and take one step closer to giving everyone a chance at this kind of support! 

Really appreciate your support x

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