Hispanic Ministry, Franciscan Health partner on social impact program

(En Espanol)

Nelly Bonilla, a Catholic psychologist from Minnesota, leads a talk for youths titled “How social media could affect your mental health.” The workshop was part of a family camp experience at CYO Camp Rancho Framasa in Brown County last fall. (Submitted photo by Felix Navarrete)

Criterion staff report

In a joint effort between the archdiocesan Hispanic Ministry and Franciscan Health, a unique initiative was recently completed through Franciscan’s Social Impact Partnership Program (SIPP).

The project, “Building Healthy Family Relationships 2023-2024,” aimed to improve the quality of life and well-being of communities through an assessment of health needs. More than 300 people participated.

“It allowed vulnerable families to benefit from activities that help them learn about a reality that today affects millions of people around the world: mental health,” noted Felix Navarrete, archdiocesan coordinator of Hispanic Ministry. “Especially certain populations affected by racism, including refugees and immigrants, low-income families, young people at risk and other vulnerable sectors.”

The program’s funds recently increased to achieve broader coverage, benefiting not only residents of Marion County, but also some families in rural areas of the state, he added.

Led by the archdiocesan Hispanic Ministry, “Building Healthy Family Relationships” featured a family camp experience at CYO Camp Rancho Framasa in Brown County during the fall of 2023, where 68 families gathered. The group consisted of 113 adults; 79 children up to age 12; 37 teens ages 13 to 17; and 24 young adults and adults ages 18 to 35. Focus areas were mental well-being and family relationships, with interactive talks and recreational activities for all ages. Topics were taught by mental health professionals.

Workshops led by Catholic therapists committed to the mission of evangelizing in the professional sphere included “Use and management of social networks: how they affect the mental health of young people”; “How to identify signs of mental trauma in children”; and “Healing in the marital relationship,” among others.

“The results of the project show a high rate of misinformation on issues of mental and psychological well-being, and more than 50% of the participants expressed interest in continuing to develop skills to improve communication and interpersonal relationships at home,” Navarrete said. “This reality leads us to acquire greater commitments of social interest through our ministries. The mission of evangelizing calls us to understand the human being as a whole, that is caring for body, mind and soul.”

This spring, the SIPP initiative was completed with two more activities. One was an informative conference for parents titled “To love is to take care of mental health,” where Catholic therapists Nelly and Carlos Bonilla offered awareness about the responsibility that parents have to ensure the care of children’s mental health in the way they care in other areas of development.

Second, an interactive conference for those 15 and older titled “Mentally Healthy” covered topics related to the use of networks, emotional healing, strategies to control stress and anxiety, and a session about how substance abuse affects the integral development of the human being.

“Franciscan Health’s social impact program has greatly contributed to the strengthening of our ministry in the mission of accompanying our families in their process of adaptation to change, especially in the context of immigrant families who seek family recreation opportunities in a healthy environment,” Navarrete said. “This is precisely what we have achieved through this project, creating spaces for culturally similar groups who, at the same time, face the same challenges and seek common interests, achieving a task of raising awareness on health issues and mental wellness.” †