Celebrating Mental Health Week: Sharing Stories of Resilience through 'Recipes of Life'

This Mental Health Awareness Week we are proud to shine a spotlight on a project close to our hearts – ‘Recipes of Life’. Created in collaboration with the Tower Hamlets Community Psychology Team, this cookbook stands at the intersection of food, migration, and mental health, embodying the resilience and strength of our migrant community.

The authors of ‘Recipes of Life’ are a group of migrant men who gather weekly at Praxis. Together, they form community and brotherhood, while resisting hostile migration policies and homelessness.

Over the past two years, GIANTS members have worked alongside the Tower Hamlets Community Psychology team, where, during trauma-informed group therapy sessions, they shared food, culinary traditions and stories from their past to embark on a healing journey. As the men exchanged recipes and reminisced about meals from their homelands, they found comfort in each other's company and solidarity in their shared struggles.

The book was published in October 2024, and since then members of the group have ‘toured’ it at other community groups and mental health service providers to advocate for better mental health support for migrant men, and to talk about the positive impact that the ‘Recipes of Life’ project had on their lives.

Last week, the group hosted mental health professionals from East London NHS Foundation Trust at Praxis. Together with the Tower Hamlets Community Psychology team, they explored how narrative, peer therapy approaches can support groups whose engagement with traditional mental health services is limited. It was a fantastic opportunity to share knowledge and best practices for approaching mental health within migrant communities.

It allowed mental health service providers to hear directly and learn from migrant men affected by isolation, destitution, and marginalised by hostile immigration rules. After hearing about the project and its impact, GIANTS members asked the participants questions that they had originally explored in the process of making the Recipes of Life cookbook. For example, “what foods did you grow up eating?” and “how often do you eat these foods or dishes from your heritage/culture/childhood? And why?”.

Reflections from participants on the session…

 “Everyone has a story and history. Everyone has strength. Community is built through collective experiences and when a safe space is provided.”

 “This is the best event I’ve attended all year – in or out of work – emotive, moving, inspiring and heart-warming. Thank you to everyone involved”.

 “I was inspired by the work to overcome the challenges that using these ideas in my own practice would bring. Thinking about how to create the ability to witness even in transitory groups.”

Through projects like ‘Recipes of Life’, we strive to foster a more inclusive and compassionate society where everyone's mental health is valued and supported. It serves as a testament to the transformative power of community and the importance of cultural heritage in nurturing mental well-being.

As we reflect on the significance of Mental Health Awareness Week, let us continue to uplift and empower those whose voices are often marginalized.

Buy the Recipes of Life cookbook today and support the ongoing work of the GIANTS group. Your donation not only grants you access to a treasure trove of recipes but also helps sustain a vital lifeline for our migrant community.

13th May 2024