After struggling with mental health, a Victoria woman has launched a group to help support others on their wellness and recovery journey.
A society launched by Natalie Senik shows that great ideas can come from a simple concept.
Like the one behind the Greater Victoria Social Gathering Place Society: Get together with people you can relate to in a comfortable setting and you’ll feel better about yourself and the world around you.
“We have people that tell us often that we’re the reason they get out of bed sometimes,” Senik said.
“It’s the one thing they look forward to in the week, to connect with people who understand them is so huge.”
When Senik and Laurel Draper launched the society, it started as a pilot project, and it now offers low-barrier community-based social opportunities for people in mental health recovery.
“We do a monthly movie night, and monthly karaoke night, and we host annual events like our BBQ,” Senik said. “And we do workshops like art and movement.”
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They also hold a weekly drop in cafe at Serious Coffee in Esquimalt and at Rebel Garage in Saanich.
Chey Hjelt is a peer support worker with the society and says he loves being part of the group.
“I love it, I can’t believe we get paid to do it, it’s great work,” Hjelt said.
Marilyn Irwin is one of the attendees and says it’s the best part of her week.
“It’s made such a difference in my life,” Irwin said. “I started going about six months ago and I’ve really enjoyed it.”
The group says it’s grateful for the regular funding it receives from the Victoria Foundation and the United Way, but it’s hoping to be able to do more.
So they’ve launched a campaign called Cups of Kindness.
“The mission there is to buy a cup of coffee for someone in recovery,” Senik said. “Donate $5, the price of a cup of coffee, and it helps us provide more programming and reach more people, which is the goal.”
Senik says she has struggled with her mental health, the first time she remembers experiencing depression was at the age of 11.
Now, she’s committed to making recovery more accessible.
“Almost like a second family, you get to know about their problems and their lives, someone to care about,” Senik said. “It really is a small community.”
Since the society launched in the spring of 2023, it has helped 4,500 people.
“It gives someone like me with a medical condition like schizophrenia a purpose,” Hjelt said. “Makes me feel like I belong to humanity again.”
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