Somali Health Stories Air, DVD Available

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Egal Shidad: Stories of Somali Health will air a program about mental health in the Twin Cities on October 6th at 7:30pm on KFAI FM 90.3/106.7 and 7:00pm on SPNN Channel 19 on St. Paul Cable. This program is primarily intended for members of the Somali community, using the Somali language and aspects of Somali culture to relay information and reduce barriers associated with mental health.

Egal Shidad uses a famous character from Somali folktales to take the audience through one man's experience with mental illness after arriving in the United States.

Featured interviews address cultural differences in perceptions about mental health and social stigmas, and provide information about resources including the Q'uran. Contributors to this program include Said Salah Ahmed, a well-known Somali playwrite; artist and political cartoonist Amin Amir; expert on traditional healing ceremonies Zahara Subriye; and mental health professionals Ahmed Mohamed and David McGraw Schuchman.

On Tuesday October 7th, KFAI Radio will air a special call-in show at 8:30pm. Callers will be able to ask questions about mental health and receive answers directly from several of the guests interviewed in the program. Tune in to FM 90.3/106.7 to participate in the call-in show. This project is the result of a collaborative effort between ECHO, Confederation of Somali Community in Minnesota (CSCM), Somali Producer Mukhtar Gaaddasaar, KFAI Fresh Air Radio, and SPNN.

A corresponding lesson for English language learners is being prepared. Related materials will provide ELL instructors with a lesson plan and worksheets that build on English language skills using concepts about mental health expressed in the film.

The program will air in the Twin Cities area again on Channel 19 on Tuesday October 7th (7pm), Wednesday October 8th (9pm), Thursday October 9th (9pm), and Friday October 10th (10pm). MTN Minneapolis Cable TV Channel 16 will air the program on October 6th (10:30pm), and MCN Metro Channel 6 will air the program that day as well (7pm). After the premiere, DVDs of the program will be available for free and distributed upon request. To request a copy of the program or to share your comments please email Egal Shidad.

Topics: Capacity Building, Community Health, Community Media, Cultural Competence, Health Care, Immigrants, Language, Media production, Mental health, Promotion, Receiving Communities, Refugees, Social marketing, Storytelling