'Where do I belong': How cultural connectedness is essential for mental health

A conference in Charlottetown this week will hear details on a new tool for measuring mental health that was developed from a First Nations perspective.

The tool focuses on the impact of cultural connectedness on mental health.

Every human being wants to have hope in their life.- Carol Hopkins

Carol Hopkins, executive director of Ontario's Thunderbird Partnership Foundation, will be speaking about the assessment tool this week in Charlottetown, at the Symposium on Child and Youth Mental Health.

"Culture has been identified as the number one foundational and critical piece to promoting wellness," Hopkins told CBC's Island morning, adding the benefits of cultural connectedness apply to all people.

"Every human being wants to have hope in their life. They want life to have meaning. They want to know what their purpose is and where do I belong."

All of these things, said Hopkins, stem from an individual's understanding of and connectedness to the culture they came from.

The Symposium on Child and Youth Mental Health begins Wednesday at Holland College.

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