Goal
To strengthen cultural responsiveness and awareness of practitioners and individuals who interact with diverse Somali students and families to promote well-being & increase engagement.
Target Audience
Mental health providers, teachers, counselors, case managers, social workers, law enforcement personnel, medical personnel, public health professionals, community health workers, advocates, students, and others who interact with students, youth, and families.
Session Objectives
- Provide an overview of Somali culture.
- Describe the role of faith in the Somali community in addressing health, well-being & healing.
- Learn Mental Stigma in the Somali Community.
- Discuss the barriers to accessing culturally responsive services and systems of care within the family and provider perspectives.
- ——– Family perspective
- ——– Provider perspective
- Explore risk & protective factors that impact refugee and immigrant children & families.
- Share practical guides that can enhance mental health systems and services appropriate for students and their families.
Meet our Presenters
Cultivated by countless stages, an experienced speaker becomes a conductor of emotions, orchestrating a symphony of ideas that resonate deeply with their audience, leaving an indelible mark on hearts and minds alike.
Ahmed Ismail Yusuf
His short stories appeared in Bildhaan: An International Journal of Somali studies, Mizna: An Arab-American literary magazine. His play “A Crack in the Sky” was produced at the History Theatre in Saint Paul and others were performed at Pangea as well as Mixed Blood theatre.
His mental health publications appeared in Journal of Muslim Mental Health; Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology; International Society for Traumatic-stress Studies, Psychiatry Times. He has a BS in creative writing and psychology from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut; and an MPA (Master of Public Affairs) from the Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs of the University of Minnesota.
Anab Gulaid
Anab was born and raised in Somalia and is the youngest of 11 children. Currently, she is based in Minnesota, where she and her husband are raising four children who inspire her daily.
Prior to AG Consulting & Media, Anab Founded and performed as the Executive Director of the nonprofit organization, Eftin, worked as a Health Educator at Saint Paul-Ramsey County Public Health, worked as a Researcher, Communications, and Community Engagement Director at the University of Minnesota, and later as an Assistant Commissioner at Minnesota Department of Human Services.
Anab earned a Public Health and Occupational Health degree from Ryerson University in 1998, a Master's degree in Public Affairs from the University of Minnesota's Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs in 2010, received her Certificate of Disability Policy and Services from the University of Minnesota, was awarded a prestigious Bush Leadership Fellowship, and is pursuing her Ph.D. from University of Minnesota. In addition, she serves on the board of the Park-Nicollet Foundation, one of the state's largest health organizations.
Imam Sharif Abdirahman Mohamed
Partnering with faculty from the University of Minnesota, a model of faith and medicine messaging was tested to determine if this model could increase rates of participation in breast and cervical cancer screening among Somali women. In 2016, Sharif worked with the Minnesota Dept. of Health (MDH) at the outset of the measles outbreak in our state to form a new kind of partnership. Sharif is certified as a trainer in Mental Health First Aid and an experienced nationally certified trainer and faculty with the Center for Mind-Body Medicine. In 2017, he received a 2-year fellowship through the University of Chicago School of Medicine which helped connect Sharif to national leaders in healthcare in the exploration of Muslim life’s relationship to health outcomes in the United States.
