Mr. Tamil Canada (MTC), established in 2018, is an awareness raising organization that promotes the health and wellbeing of South Asian men.  Considering the drastic increase in suicide rates among Tamil men over the years, the organization prioritized the mission of inspiring change and fighting stigma against men’s mental health by creating and fostering more awareness.  The ultimate goal was to support men through their journey of recovery and building resilience by pulling back the curtain on the existing stigma and staying actively involved in discussing issues that are considered a taboo in the South Asian community. This goal was put into action throughout 2019.  

 

MTC successfully launched an extravagant show and the first-ever Tamil men’s pageant on June 1, 2019 with an audience of over 650 people. The event was regarded as a new dimension for men to embrace themselves.  MTC contributed $20,000 to the Canadian Tamil Medical Association (CTMA) in support of their collaboration with The Scarborough Network’s new initiative to provide Mental Health Care. 

 

With such positive feedback and immense support from the community, Mr. Tamil Canada broadened their vision to the mainstream community.  For the year of 2020, MTC’s objective is to create a larger platform to raise awareness on mental health and continue building its widespread profile.  Furthermore, the team will continue to partner with and endorse voluntary organizations directly helping people recover from health complications through financial contribution.